


Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

by aelora



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 19:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8070664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aelora/pseuds/aelora
Summary: After a bad break up with the love of his life, Blaine Anderson, his senior year of high school, Kurt Hummel had pretty much given up on dreams, and instead, focused on reality. Still, it’s kind of difficult to mock the dreams of the brides he plans weddings for, especially once he begins working for the one place where dreams are made - the Disney Weddings Group at Walt Disney World. It’s even more difficult to turn a blind eye to his own dreams when Blaine turns up portraying Disney’s hottest new character, the Swan Prince, and begins a ridiculous campaign of attempting to win Kurt back that includes castles, fireworks, fairy tales and a giant talking mouse. Blaine needs to break past the walls Kurt has built up over the last six years. Is that special Disney magic enough to prove to him that dreams really can come true?





	1. Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written for the Klaine Big Bang in September 2011. So pre-Seasons 4-6. Yeah, it's old.

_Once upon a time…_

Isn’t that the way all good stories begin? The ones filled with romance and castles, beautiful princesses and dashing princes, terrifying villains and hardships that our heroes and heroines can only overcome together.

_Once upon a time there was a lonely prince, an outcast within his own kingdom, who happened upon…_

No, scratch that.

_Once upon a time there were two boys who loved one another very, very much, and they were brought together by a bird, in an odd sort of way. But things went wrong, as they sometimes do, and the fairy tale ending they’d both imagined in their daydreams came to a bitter end._

_Except, it wasn’t really an end._

_Once upon a time, two boys who once loved one another very, very much were given a second chance at their fairy tale ending. And just like before, this story involves a bird too._

 

 ******_Disney World_**  
 **_Orlando, Florida  
_ _March 5th, 2018_**

Some day my prince will come  
Some day we'll meet again  
_And away to his castle we'll go  
_ To be happy forever I know.

Some day when spring is here  
We'll find our love anew  
And the birds will sing  
And wedding bells will ring  
_Some day when my dreams come true.  
_ **_\-- Snow White_ **

 

“I don’t envy you, you know? This has to be the most insane time of the year to start working here. Well, other than if you chose to start in June. That would be certifiable, honestly.”

“It’s not as if I had a choice,” Kurt replies as he follows Janelle through the main room of the Wedding Pavilion and down a hallway toward the offices, hand smoothing down the front of his beige Maison Martin Margiela cardigan. It’s a little warm for the sweater to be necessary, but he would have felt under-dressed without it. While the burgundy striped McQueen tie adds the necessary pizzazz to the outfit, without a sweater or jacket, the whole ensemble would have been pointless. Dressing appropriately for your first day at work is almost as stressful as your first date. “I suppose I could have said ‘oh, would you mind if I waited until say December to start? Just, hold that position please’, though I don’t think it would have made the best impression.”

“Probably not,” Janelle admits with a smile, as she glances over at her shoulder at him. “We only had two hundred and seventy-three applicants for this position.”

Only. Kurt flashes a quick smile, though his hands tighten nervously over the strap of his Prada messenger bag. He’d been told any position with the Disney Wedding Groups team was highly competitive, he just hadn’t quite realized how much truth there had been to that statement. Somehow, they’d chosen him over two hundred and seventy-three other applicants. The nervousness he is feeling over his first day on the job suddenly triples.

“Well, here’s your office.” Janelle leans around the doorframe to switch on the light as Kurt steps in.

It’s not much different from the décor of the rest of the Wedding Pavilion; delicate oak furniture, all tastefully matching, with granite countertops in a mixture of warm and cool colors. The walls are papered in intricate peach designs on ivory background in between the white moldings. The desk is beautiful, and behind it built-in shelving covers the entire wall. There’s a table and four chairs beside a double-window with delicate ivory lace curtains. The chairs covered are in peach and green floral silk damask. Kurt is pretty certain he could live in this office; all it needs is some tasteful artwork and a few plants for greenery.

“Do you like?” Janelle asks with a smile that says she already knows the answer.

“It’ll do,” Kurt replies, his smirk giving him away as he steps inside and sets his bag down on the desk.

“If you need a new computer, let us know. Your laptop and Blackberry should be in tomorrow. If you have any problems, the numbers for our Disney techs are in the drawer beneath the phone. Also, check with our administrative assistant, Marilyn, and she’ll assign a company credit card to you.”

Kurt looks up and smiles at his coworker. “You know this is just like Christmas morning, right?”

Janelle laughs. “Welcome to Disney, Mr. Hummel.”

***********************************************************

 

Kurt’s beginning to worry that he’s never going to completely catch up on and understand everything there is to know about his new employer. There’s just _so much_ , and even the week-long orientation doesn’t seem as if it were enough to prepare him for everything he’s expected to know. Janelle assures him that it just takes time, but he’s gotten lost almost every time he’s stepped outside the pavilion doors, and don’t even get him started on the size of the property. The other night he drove around for more than an hour looking for one of the gas stations, and kept getting stuck in the Caribbean Beach resort parking lot.

Kurt has been given the clients from the previous planner whose position he was brought in to fill. They include two weddings coming up in the next week that he need only be on hand for, six weddings over the next three weeks that require coordination with the various departments to have everything in place and ready for the bridal party and guests, and a total of ten weddings that still require quite a bit of planning, and leave him feeling just a little nauseous as he stares at the files. The worst of the bunch is the McCafferty wedding; Lenore McCafferty is the daughter of Florida’s Republican senator, and currently the price tag for the wedding is set at over $100,000. She wants to be married in Cinderella’s castle after the close of the park, complete with carriage and white horses and the entire package. When Janelle had explained it to him, Kurt had turned a little paler than usual. She’d handed him a bottle of water and told him diving in head first was really the best way to experience what working for Disney Wedding’s was all about.

Kurt isn’t so certain about that.

Currently he is making his way around Magic Kingdom to meet one of the Disney photographers near the carousel behind Cinderella’s Castle, pausing occasionally to stare at the map in his hands. He really has no idea where he is going or what the best way is to get there. Glancing up, he notes that he’s currently facing toward the castle; there’s a large crowd in front of him, watching the current performance on stage. He looks back down at the map, thinking how he probably should have just taken the tunnels as suggested. But no, Kurt feels the need to learn his way around the parks without helpful employee shortcuts for those moments when he is showing clients around, hence why he’s stuck out here right now, a tad bit lost.

Tucking the map back into the pocket of his Dolce and Gabanna pinstriped blazer, Kurt skirts the edge of the crowd, glancing briefly over the thousands of heads toward the stage where the performers look like tiny figures from a music box, spinning and dancing to the slightly garbled music coming from the speakers. He feels a momentary pang of envy; he misses performing, he can admit that much. For all that he loves planning weddings, from the choice of the fabrics to the design of the cakes right down to occasionally helping with attire, he misses the stage. He misses singing out his emotions, something a little beyond just doing it in the shower or the privacy of his car. There’s something about having an audience, having someone to understand what you’re saying…

He gave it up right around the point he realized he had reverted to singing songs from _Jagged Little Pill_ more often than not.

Mentally shaking the unwanted memories from his thoughts, Kurt smiles a brief apology as he steps between the crowd, slipping down a path toward the right of the stage, and that’s when he hears it:

“ _Sing to me of right and wrong, of love’s lament, of summer’s swan…_ ”

It’s not the words. He knows the words. Everyone does. _The Swan Prince_ is Disney’s recent blockbuster. Not even a year old and still breaking records through DVD sales, merchandising and album sales. There’s a cartoon in the works for the Disney channel, and a Broadway musical and –

“ _Lift me up on your wings, and together we’ll soar—_ ”

 _Oh god_.

Kurt turns toward the stage and stares. He’d know that voice anywhere. That amazing, breathtaking voice that had sang to him just once and caused him to fall completely and totally in love.

That voice he now hates with every fiber of his being.

The voice of Blaine Anderson.

“Excuse me,” Kurt says, pushing his way toward the stage, trying to get a closer look at the figure standing near the edge, the one in the now famous Swan Prince costume with the beautiful white wing extended over the left arm.

He can clearly see black hair still tamed with too-much pomade (of course, the Swan Prince doesn’t have ridiculous curls that used to wrap themselves greedily around Kurt’s fingers) and a slight, slim figure that is honestly too short to be hired as one of the princely performers for Disney (but Blaine _would_ because they’d hear his voice and gaze into his eyes, and then he’d freaking _smile_ at them and they’d be sold, heart and soul) but Kurt just has to be certain. In his heart, he already knows it’s him, because he knows that voice and that step and that twirl, but it’s been so long, and maybe he’s wrong, maybe…

He’s only three people back from the stage now, and Prince Ardwin chooses that moment to spin toward him, holding out his feathered wing in supplication as he sings the last haunting notes of love’s lament, and ridiculously beautiful hazel eyes, more molten gold than anything else and fringed in stupidly thick lashes, drop down to meet his in instant recognition.

 _Shit_.

Kurt glares, because there is not much else he can do, even as a bright smile appears on Blaine’s stupid face, and he spins on his heels, pushing his way through the crowd in an attempt to get away from that stage and Blaine Anderson’s stupid, happy smile as quickly as possible.

Six years.

Six years and Kurt has finally moved on from that time in his life, has finally gotten over his first love. Well, mostly. Or at least, partially. After all, it isn’t as if he spends his nights anymore curled up on the sofa eating far too much ice cream and sobbing through _Bridget Jones’ Diary_. Those initial months through the last semester of high school had been horrible, especially when they’d been forced to go to Nationals together, to sing together, and to accept the award and praises from their friends. Then there had been prom—Kurt refuses to allow himself to even think of that night.

He had gotten past it, though. He’d moved on. He had dated guys in college—pretty amazing guys, too. Artists and designers and musicians and even a computer science major, who Kurt finally had to break it off with because there was only so much original series _Star Trek_ he could sit through repeatedly. (He would not, on the threat of death, admit there were a few scifi shows he’d been exposed to and actually enjoy, such as _Babylon Five_ and _Firefly_ … Simon Tam was hot, okay?) For the most part, Blaine had been an afterthought over the last four years or so, hovering in the back of his mind like an annoying mosquito that refused to go away. Whenever Kurt had a relationship, there always seemed to be something missing—either his partner was too romantic, or not romantic enough, or he didn’t like the clothes they wore, or how they styled their hair. Sometimes their eyes were the wrong color, or their hair was too straight, and then when the whole relationship went to hell, Kurt would spend the next week cursing Blaine Anderson for ever being born.

Why couldn’t the memory of him just go the hell away?

“Kurt!”

But this? This is a million times worse. This isn’t Kurt’s active imagination or memories of what could have been or should have been. This is Blaine Anderson, in the flesh, apparently chasing after him, and maybe Kurt speeds up just a little bit, pretending not to hear.

“Hey, Kurt! Wait up, please?”

It’s the _please_ that causes Kurt to utter a sigh of frustration as he comes to a stop, turning and waiting for his ex—his ex _everything_ to catch up. Blaine stops a few feet in front of him, and for a moment, they’re just kind of looking at each other. His ex is still in Prince Ardwin’s ridiculous costume— pure white from head to toe. The tail coat is trimmed in red and gold braid, with intricate gold designs over the chest. The cravat is red silk—and damn if red hasn’t always been Blaine’s best color—and it looks smashing against the red and gold vest revealed beneath the coat. The white breeches are almost obscenely tight, and the knee-high black boots are, of course, shined to perfection.

Blaine looks every part the prince, and it doesn’t surprise Kurt in the least.

“Wow,” Blaine says about sixty seconds into their combined silence. “You’re honestly the last person I ever expected to see here.”

 _Six years? And those are the first words you say to me_? is what Kurt really wants to say, but instead he says, “Yeah. Same here.”

When he finally allows himself to look at Blaine’s face, Kurt mentally curses himself for giving in. He hasn’t changed much, at all. Sure, there’s maturity there, the softness of youth slowly giving way to sharper angles, more prominent cheekbones, a wider smile, and if possible, larger eyes. Blaine’s eyes have always been a bit of a weakness for Kurt, and apparently that hasn’t changed because he finds himself staring at them for just a moment too long, and he realizes Blaine is smiling at him, with all that happy exuberance he’d had when they were teenagers, from the moment they’d first met.

Kurt firmly focuses his gaze just past Blaine’s shoulder. The last thing he really wants is for his ex to realize he still finds him undeniably attractive.

“Gosh, you look good,” Blaine is saying, as always just as open and honest as ever, clearly not even bothering to think through his own words. “Love the shoes.”

Kurt glances down at his Fluevog black and white Lucianos.

“Did you grow some more? That’s unfair, Kurt. You really need to stop.”

Kurt doesn’t appreciate his teasing, or how easily he can just… fall back into this. But then, why not? Blaine was, after all, the one to walk away.

“What are you even doing here?” Blaine glances around, as if searching for someone. “Are you here with family or… someone special?”

Not even bothering to respond verbally, Kurt holds up his employee badge.

Blaine leans in slightly, reading it over, eyes widening along with his smile. “Disney Weddings group! Putting those amazing skills of yours to work, then. That’s fantastic, Kurt. You know, I work with them all the time. Janelle and Holly and Aiden and Todd—great bunch of people. Ever since _The Swan Prince_ got so popular, brides tend to want the characters at their weddings.”

 _Of course_ . Because, you see, Kurt is just now beginning to learn he has the _worst_ luck in the entire screwed up universe. He makes a quick, silent note not to tell Lenore McCafferty a single thing about the character option.

“Aren’t you breaking the cardinal rule or something?” Kurt asks, ignoring Blaine’s comments, and he knows he sounds like a complete snot at the moment, but he really doesn’t care. He can’t help but notice a few guests across the way beginning to pause and point toward the Swan Prince, readying their cameras. “By breaking character and speaking to me, or whatever.”

Blaine’s eyes widen slightly as if he’s just now realized Kurt has a point—and that is so Blaine that Kurt isn’t sure whether he should laugh or cry—but then Blaine is grabbing his elbow and pulling him across the street. “You have a point. Come with me.”

“No. Wait.” Kurt bats at his hand even as he’s dragged near the First Aid station, past a large row of hedges toward a gate marked “Cast Members Only”. “I’m late for a meeting!”

“So, since you’re already late,” Blaine replies logically, pushing the gate open and stepping inside, where the magic of the Magic Kingdom instantly falls away, much like the back lot of a movie studio. “There. Now I can’t get in trouble for not being in character. Gosh, Kurt! Have I mentioned how good it is to see you?”

And then he does it. Just wraps his arms around Kurt, pulling him in to a tight hug, and Kurt can do little but stand there stiffly, wondering if maybe Blaine hit his head at some point in the last six years and doesn’t remember the fact that they were never going to speak to one another again. Kurt hates that the man holding him smells incredibly good, or that the cheek pressed against Kurt’s neck is warm, the arms holding him strong and well-defined.

When Blaine finally lets go and steps back, Kurt makes a big show of smoothing the wrinkles from his own clothing.

“We have so much catching up to do,” Blaine continues, as if he doesn’t even notice Kurt’s obvious aloofness. “Do you want to get together for coffee or maybe grab lunch tomorrow or something? I don’t work until late afternoon tomorrow so—“

“I’m not entirely certain what gave you the impression I have any desire to get reacquainted,” Kurt finally says, quietly pleased with the cool and steady tone of his voice.

Blaine had always had this amazing ability to look like a kicked puppy when he didn’t get what he wanted. Apparently, that hasn’t changed by the wide-eyed, injured expression focused in Kurt’s direction. “But, Kurt, why wouldn’t—“ He stops then, brows furrowing slightly as realization seems to hit him. He shakes his head, looking slightly shocked. “You can’t be serious, Kurt? That was six years ago. Surely, you’re not still angry?”

“Angry?” Kurt laughs a little because, yes, he is angry, thank you very much, but it would be a bit pathetic to admit that, now wouldn’t it? “Hardly. But I honestly don’t see the necessity in our getting to know one another again. What happened was for the best, and I suggest we leave it that way. We said we’d never speak to one another again—“

“ _You_ said you’d never speak to _me_ again.”

“And I think, in the end, the mutual dissolution of our relationship benefited the both of us.” Kurt looks up at the end of his speech to find Blaine with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the fence beside the gate, watching Kurt with an expression bordering somewhere between amusement and horror.

“You honestly believe every word you just said, don’t you?”

“Are you implying that my facts regarding the end of our relationship are distorted?”

“No. I’m flat out telling you. If that’s how you remember it, you’ve apparently lost your mind sometime in the last six years.”

Kurt bristles at the insult, lifting his chin to direct one of his haughtiest looks in Blaine’s direction. “I remember it all quite well, Blaine Anderson. You made promises to me that you never planned on keeping. Everything about you turned out to be a lie. I ask you, in what reality would I _ever_ want to let someone like that back into my life again?”

Blaine rolls his eyes—actually rolls his eyes—at Kurt and waves a hand toward him. “Possibly the same reality you’ve created for yourself in which I’m still depicted as the monster in this relationship.” He pushes away from the fence, dropping his arms to smooth out his jacket. “The way I see it? I’m the prince here. And you? The bitchy old spinster.”

Kurt realizes he’s sputtering as Blaine yanks the gate open and disappears back into the Magic Kingdom.

***********************************************************

 

“Out of all the places, why here? Why him? I mean, really, Finn. Did I do something horrible in my past that I’m now paying for?” Kurt paces across the living room of his condo, pausing to cross an arm over his chest and stare out the doors onto the terrace. “I can think of a hundred other people I’d rather be stuck working with, and that includes both Sue Sylvester _and_ Jacob Ben Israel.”

Finn laughs on the other end of the line. “ _Don’t you think you’re being just a little bit dramatic, Kurt? I mean, Jacob, really_?”

“I know drama, Finn. And this? Is _not_ me being dramatic. Oh, why did I take this job?” Okay, maybe he said that a tad bit dramatically.

“ _Because it was the ‘opportunity of a lifetime’? Or at least, that’s what you said last time you were out here_.”

“You’re not helping right now…”

Another laugh, though this one sounds slightly exasperated. “ _What do you want me to say, dude? I mean, honestly, if it were me and I suddenly found out I was working with Rachel, I’d be excited. It’d be cool to be able to renew our friendship_.”

“Yes, I’m completely certain Quinn would be totally okay with that,” Kurt replies with sarcasm.

“ _Dude, hypothesis situation here—_ “

“I think you mean hypothetical.”

“ _Whatever. It’s not real. I’m just saying, even though Rachel and I haven’t been together in forever doesn’t mean I wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to see her again._ ”

“The two of you broke up under far better circumstances,” Kurt points out, pinching the bridge of his nose as he moves away from the window and flops onto the couch. “It was amicable. You’re still friends on Facebook.”

“ _Well, amic… amia… that aside, I don’t see why you can’t be friends again. The two of you were close, man_.”

“Obviously we weren’t that close considering how easily he ended it,” Kurt mutters, picking at a cuticle.

There’s silence on the other end of the line; a heavy, telling silence that makes Kurt uncomfortable. He sits up straighter on the couch, settling his hand on his thigh. “Is there something you want to say, Finn?”

Some more silence and then, “ _It’s just… I was there that afternoon. When you kind of, well… you flipped out a little bit, dude._ ”

“Are you saying I didn’t have the right to do so?”

The resulting silence from that question pretty much answers it for him.

“I see. Maybe you should have alerted me six years ago to the fact that you’ve been on Blaine’s side all this time.” 

“ _Dude! I’m not choosing sides here. And if I did, you know I’d choose yours. You’re my brother, and nothing changes that. It’s just that, you didn’t even give him a chance to explain himself. You know how you are, Kurt. And yeah, I get that you were upset, and I don’t know what went down later that made it all so much worse, but I do know that day? You were being… a little bit unreasonable_.” 

Kurt gets to his feet to resume his pacing. “He _lied_ to me, Finn.” 

“ _He left out some info_ ,” Finn corrects. “ _This is Blaine we’re talking about, man. Did the dude ever lie to you? Like ever, really?_ ” 

Kurt pulls a face that he knows Finn can’t see. He only does this because he knows, on this point, Finn is correct. Their relationship had never been built on lies—at least not until Blaine had begun making promises to him that he had never planned on keeping. 

All right, so maybe that didn’t exactly equal lying. 

“ _Kurt? You still there?_ ” 

“Yes, sorry.” Kurt pauses again, rubbing at his temple. He’d been looking forward to this job so much, and now he finds himself dreading it in a way. He knows he can’t spend however long he plans on working here—years—avoiding Blaine. It would be ridiculous to even try. This means that somehow, he has to try to come to terms with how things ended between them. 

Six years, and Kurt still struggles to figure out how to make that happen. 

“The past is the past, I guess,” he continues after a moment, not believing his own words. “What I need to focus on now is how to deal with the present. I mean, is it possible to ask him, out of professional courtesy, to never speak to me again?” 

Kurt frowns when he hears Finn laughing on the other end of the line. “ _Dude, seriously?_ ” 

“I don’t see how any of this is even remotely amusing.” 

“ _Maybe you just have to be on the outside to see how ridiculous you’re being. Considering it’s been six years, I’d think you’d be a little more open to putting the past behind you and that kinda stuff?_ ” When Finn pauses, Kurt can almost feel the dread moving through him. Sure enough, his stepbrother doesn’t let him down when he says, “ _Oh, wow. Wait. You’re still hung up on him, aren’t you?_ ” 

Twenty-four hours ago and Kurt would have unequivocally said no to such a question. He would have said it quickly, and with conviction, and the conversation would have proceeded onward to something else. Now though, Kurt finds himself hesitating; not because he thinks he’s still in love with Blaine Anderson in any way shape or form--it’s been six years, and he can’t still be in love with Blaine--but he can’t deny that there had been something. If there is any one thing Kurt can admit about his chance encounter with his ex, it’s that Blaine still affects him, at least. There is no denying how Kurt had felt when Blaine had chased after him, how his heart had beat a bit too rapidly when Blaine had taken him in his arms, how hazel eyes and a too-easy, too-bright smile had made his legs feel a little like rubber. 

“ _You’re still in love with him!_ ” Finn accuses, a little too delightedly, like he can’t wait to share this news with Quinn and Burt and Carole and every single person in Lima. 

“No, I’m _not_.” 

And he isn’t. Kurt can honestly say he doesn’t know Blaine anymore, and you can’t love someone you don’t know. He had loved a boy once that very much resembled the man who’d called him a bitchy old spinster before storming back off into the land of make-believe. Not to be cliché, that was then and this is now, and Kurt isn’t lying when he says he isn’t in love with Blaine. 

He’s not.

***********************************************************

 

Between trying to get used to his new job, and spending the majority of his days doing whatever it takes to avoid going anywhere near Magic Kingdom (which isn’t all that easy considering every bride wants to get married there, or at least have their photo session by the castle), Kurt is exhausted, stressed and in desperate need of a spa day by the end of his first two weeks. His coworkers seem concerned, but he refuses to tell them the truth, muttering about having trouble keeping up with all of this new information, and a leftover childhood fear of giant mice wearing clothes. Janelle had giggled at that, not believing him for a second, so Kurt had quickly changed his story to include Goofy. 

 _Seriously, why would a dog own a dog anyway?_ He’d asked. _It’s just weird._  

Kurt is, if nothing else, spectacular at distracting people. 

To wind down from his first few weeks, his coworkers have invited him to meet up with them at Rising Star, a karaoke bar located at the Universal City Walk. Normally, Kurt can’t be dragged to a karaoke bar--he suffered through one too many of them during his first two years of college in New York with Rachel. She’d repeatedly dragged him to one after another, attempting to get him to sing with her, and the evenings usually ended with both sulking over their alcoholic beverages while listening to horrible singers belt out horrible songs. Around his junior year, Kurt swore to never enter a karaoke bar again. 

“I take it supporting the competition is encouraged?” Kurt remarks with a smile as he meets up with Janelle and Holly next to the silver men statues and they make their way toward the Rising Star. 

The thing is, though, Kurt likes what he knows of his coworkers so far. They’re an entertaining and slightly eclectic group of individuals. There’s Janelle, who’s sweet and responsible and good at what she does, and there’s just something about her that has a calming affect when he’s around her. They’ve taken to having lunch with one another and texting a lot throughout the days. She’s a ridiculously adorable size fourteen with the prettiest chestnut-colored hair Kurt’s ever seen, and there’s something about her laughter that reminds him of Rachel, and something about her sweetness that reminds him of Mercedes, and it makes Kurt alternately sad and grateful that he may have found a new close friend. 

“Considering our employer doesn’t exactly encourage us lowly employees to take advantage of their own facilities…” Holly rolls her eyes and waves a small hand in dismissal. “Besides, this place is great. A lot of the cast members come here to blow off steam.” 

Holly, who while certainly nice and welcoming, doesn’t appear to really want to be close to any of her coworkers. She’s friendly when she needs to be, a stone-cold bitch when she wants to be left alone, and one of the cattiest people Kurt’s met since... well, himself, honestly. He’d seen a funny little picture once of a cat sharpening its claws, and that’s what Holly reminds him of when he looks at her. She’s almost the complete opposite of Janelle--tall, reed thin, pale blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. She has a soft smile, though, and oddly enough, Kurt knows that she genuinely seems to like him. She’s been nothing but helpful since the day he arrived. 

Kurt understands Holly’s comment the moment they enter. The ambiance of the bar can almost be called classy, in a drag queen’s dream kind of way, all pinks and purples and greens with the stage being the main focus, set up high above the various tables and booths. There are lights all over the stage in garish colors, and Kurt can see how anyone standing up there would end up feeling like they were truly a rock star performing for their audience. He gets a slight pang at the thought, gaze turning a bit wistful as he stares ahead before pushing thoughts of what might have been from his mind and following Holly and Janelle over to one of the bigger booths. 

Aidan and Todd are already there, waving their arms above the crowd to get their attention. Kurt trails behind as they make their way over, eyes drawn once more toward the stage as a woman walks up to the mic and the strains of Britney Spears latest hit begins pouring through the speakers. Kurt’s not a big fan of her latest album—he finds it flat and uninspired. Honestly, he thinks the girl should have retired about two tours ago. 

Aidan is the one coworker Kurt cannot quite put his finger on. It’s not that Kurt necessarily thinks the guy doesn’t like him; Aidan honestly doesn’t seem to like anyone. There’s something about his manner that makes him the quintessential salesman--he’s all smiles and cordial platitudes. He dresses to the nines from head to foot in Armani and Marc Jacobs. He’s handsome in a very metro-sexual way--slim, fastidiously neat, perfectly coiffed hair and manicured nails. Kurt could almost bring himself to admire the guy if it wasn’t for that certain something beneath his exterior that makes Kurt wonder what deep, dark secrets Aidan is hiding. He’s sure he’ll turn on the television one day to find out Aidan has been murdering tourists all along and burying them in his backyard. Kurt met Aidan’s trophy wife last week; he’s fairly certain she’s probably assisting her husband in their victim's’ demise. 

At the furthest end of the spectrum is Todd. Kurt can wholeheartedly say there’s something about the guy that reminds Kurt of Sandy Ryerson, except that Todd is generally affable and easy to get along with, even though he tends to be a bit of a gossip and ridiculously dramatic. Kurt knows Rachel Berry, and this man can teach her a thing or two about drama. Mostly, Kurt thinks, Todd reminds him of Sandy with regards to his wardrobe, which is to say it’s appropriately hideous. The brides apparently love him though; Janelle said Todd is the most requested coordinator among the group, and that his sales quota each year is ridiculous. When she’d said it, she’d given him a little wink, saying she had no doubt that by this time next year, Kurt would be giving Todd a run for his money. To be honest, Kurt isn’t entirely certain of that. For as campy as Todd appears on the surface, he’s very good at what he does. Kurt’s glanced through his portfolio, and can admit to waves of jealousy over the creative eye and flare for the visual that Todd has when it comes to coordinating Disney weddings. If Kurt were to put a style to it, he’d have to say Todd’s vision is a cross between Tim Burton and Martha Stewart--a frightening combination at the onset, but Todd _makes it work_. 

“I see you brought the new guy,” Aidan calls out, sliding over to make room in the booth for the others. 

Kurt lets Janelle and Holly crowd in ahead of him before he takes the end seat. Todd is directly across from him, drinking something decidedly pink that actually perfectly matches the scarf around his neck. For some reason, the very sight of it amuses Kurt to no end. 

“So new guy,” Aidan begins, leaning past the girls and yelling over the top of the very bad singer on the stage. She’s actually screeching at times, and Kurt winces reflexively. “How goes the wedding biz so far?” 

“There’s a lot to learn,” Kurt replies just as loudly, pausing to order a Cosmopolitan when the waitress stopped by, before turning back to his coworker. “I’ve got a meeting set up with the McCaffertys on Monday, and the very idea makes me nauseous.” 

“Kurt’s afraid he’s going to get lost while showing them around the property,” Janelle points out, waving at someone on the other side of the bar. 

Aidan shakes his head. “We’ve all been there. Just keep our numbers handy in your phone, and if something begins to go wrong, send out a 9-1-1. One of us will be there to help you get past it.” 

“If nothing else, Melinda can set off the fire alarm from the front desk,” Todd offers helpfully. 

“One of our interns totally did that last summer,” Holly adds. 

Janelle reaches out and lays her hand on Kurt’s arm. “You’ll be fine, really. Just ask the standard questions I’ve gone over with you, and let the bride-to-be do the talking. Take plenty of notes. This one will be easy because the sky is pretty much the limit. There won’t be a need for you to sit there and watch the reaction of her parents to figure out how much you’ll be able to get away with it. If she can imagine it, you can make it happen.” 

“Except for making Pluto talk,” Todd remarks dryly, lifting an eyebrow when Kurt glances over at him. “No, seriously. I had this bride two years ago who said Pluto was her favorite, and she wanted the character to come to her reception and make a comment as to how beautiful the bride was. And I was like, but Pluto doesn’t talk, and how can he possibly be your favorite if you don’t know that?” 

“What happened?” Kurt asks. 

“Luckily her dad said he wasn’t paying the extra seven hundred dollars for a character appearance and that was that.” Todd takes a sip of his ridiculously pink beverage. “Saved by a tightwad of a father. It happens a lot, you know.” 

“Yes, that’s something to remember,” Aidan says with a nod. “If the demands start to get a little bit over the top, just start adding a price tag to everything – like if she says ‘I want this’, you nod and write it down and say it will cost this, and so on and so forth. Eventually every father’s—including Senator McCafferty’s—eyes bug out of their heads, they shift uncomfortably in their chair, and begin with the ‘now, honey, I know this wedding is important to you, but…’. It works like a charm.” 

Kurt’s head swims a little as his coworkers begin discussing the worst weddings they’d ever had to deal with through Disney. Most of them are the typical bridezilla type horror stories, except with a lot more money attached to the package. Kurt shares a few from his time spent in New York—from the weddings he planned while in college to those in the proceeding time after. He even tells them a little bit about his dad’s wedding, and the fact that his friend Rachel had threatened to call PETA on him for wanting to feed the doves glitter. That story sent his coworkers into tears from laughter for the next five minutes. 

Soon they’ve ordered their second round of drinks, and Kurt isn’t certain if it’s just him or the karaoke is actually getting worse. Maybe he just spent far too much time participating in such activities with actual singers, as opposed to drunk tourists tired after having spent a day drinking Butterbeer at Wizarding World. Janelle and Holly both seem quite happy to join in on his snark with him as Kurt proceeds to criticize every person who steps up to the mic. His diatribe only comes to an end when Aidan interrupts. 

“Hey look, it’s the Pretty People,” Aidan remarks as he takes a sip of his rum and coke. 

Kurt turns slightly in his seat, trying to see what Aidan is referring to, but doesn’t see too much in the crowd. The door to the bar has clearly opened, and he can see a group of about a half dozen or more people enter. More patrons end up getting in the way, though, so Kurt turns away.

Todd sits, patting frantically at his hair. “Oh, god. Is my boy with them? Please tell me my boy is with them. I think tonight's _the_ night! I will get him drunk enough to forget his own name! And then I will throw him into my trunk, take him home, tie him up and do all kinds of unspeakable things to that delectable body of his.” 

“Jesus, Todd. TMI.” Holly rolls her eyes as she finishes off her drink. 

“Todd’s completely crazy about one of the princes,” Janelle leans in to tell Kurt. “Well, we all are. But Todd is at that point of borderline obsession. I’m a little worried honestly.” 

“Oh, hush, Janny,” Todd berates with a pout. “It’s not like I’ve purchased any Roofies or anything. A boy can hope, can’t he?” 

“Well, start hoping,” Aidan breaks in as Kurt takes a sip of his Cosmo, “because there’s our beloved Swan Prince now.” 

Kurt spits half the mouthful of his drink back into his glass at Aidan’s words. _Wait, wait. There’s more than one Swan Prince, right?_ He turns wide eyes upwards just as the group that recently entered the bar appears at their table, and sure enough, right in the front center—as if he’s naturally drawn to that spot—is Blaine, smiling down at Kurt like he’d planned this or something. 

“Hello, Disney Wedding group,” Blaine greets with a broad smile, gaze sweeping over the table. 

Across from Kurt, Todd appears to actually be swooning. Kurt pulls a face as he watches him. 

“Hello yourself, Pretty People,” Holly replies. 

Kurt finds himself understanding why his coworkers refer to the group as such—it’s not just Blaine, it’s all of the performers standing before them. He recognizes Princes Charming and Naveen, Aladdin and a taller guy in the back he figures probably hides under the Beast costume. Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana and Belle are scattered among them, Ariel far prettier out of her obviously fake wig. They’re all gorgeous people, with perfect complexions, bright smiles and large eyes, and it’s almost disgusting to Kurt how well Blaine seems to fit among them, the only outstanding feature seeming to be that he’s closer to the height of the women than he is the men. Kurt tries to ignore the fact that he’d always kind of adored that about him. No matter how small Blaine was in stature compared to most, he always seemed to stand out. Even with this group that aspect obviously hasn’t changed at all, especially considering the way Kurt’s very own coworkers seem to be fawning over him. 

Kurt is pulled from his thoughts as Tiana immediately makes herself right at home, shoving at him to move inward so she can sit beside him. “I’m Angel,” she greets, holding out her hand. “I don’t think we’ve met.” 

“I’m—“ 

“Kurt Hummel,” Blaine introduces for him, flashing a quick smile. 

Kurt instantly feels the eyes of his four coworkers swing toward him. He ignores Blaine as he takes Angel’s hand—though he thinks she’ll always be Tiana to him—and shakes it. 

“So wait, you two know each other?” Of course it’s Todd who’s asking. Todd, who Kurt can already feel leveling an assessing gaze in his direction. 

Just as Kurt begins to shake his head and reply with some kind of answer that makes it sound as if they’re barely acquaintances, Blaine replies, “Since high school, actually—“ 

“We haven’t seen each other in years,” Kurt cuts in. 

“We were best friends—“ 

“We were both in glee.” 

Kurt’s almost certain Blaine is about to up the ante—perhaps by expressing the fact that they were once boyfriends—when Janelle blessedly (or less than so) asks, “You sing, Kurt?” 

“He’s a countertenor,” Blaine answers for him, and if they were closer Kurt is quite certain he would have kicked his ex by now. Blaine is looking at the other performers around him. “Amazingly beautiful voice. The first time I heard him sing he did _Don’t Cry for Me Argentina_. Almost brought me to tears.” 

Kurt doesn’t know what Blaine is playing at, but he certainly doesn’t like it. What right does he have to bring up the very distant past that way? The last thing Kurt ever wants to remember is his time at Dalton, or their time _together_. His coworkers are still watching him, like he’s some new kind of mystery for them to solve. He gives them all a forced smile. 

“It was a very long time ago,” he says. “I haven’t sung in years.” 

“Oh! You need to do karaoke!” Tiana claps beside him suddenly. 

“Yeah, Kurt,” Todd comments from across the table, a smirk appearing. “You should do karaoke. In fact, you and Blaine should do a duet, since you used to sing together.” 

The others begin to chime in, and Blaine, _damn him all to hell_ is nodding enthusiastically, and smiling down at Kurt, eyes glittering in challenge. 

Kurt wants to say no. It’s on the tip of his tongue to say no. He hasn’t sung in years in front of another person. Sometimes in the shower or the car, sure, but on stage? In front of a couple hundred people? No. He can’t do it. He doesn’t want to do it, and he certainly doesn’t want to do it with Blaine, of all people. 

He’d say no, too, if Blaine didn’t look so damn smug about it; like he is just _expecting_ Kurt to not do it. 

Drumming his fingers on the table for a moment, Kurt says finally, “ _I_ get to choose the song.” 

Blaine looks ridiculously pleased, the bastard. “Of course.” He steps back, extending an arm forward as Tiana quickly scrambles out of her seat to let Kurt get up. 

His coworkers are all clapping and hollering encouragement as Kurt gets to his feet and steps past Blaine, pointedly not looking at him as he makes his way toward the stage. He can feel Blaine following though, the sounds of their coworkers’ enthusiasm fading only slightly behind. There’s a group of three drunken frat boys on the stage currently, badly belting out _Friends in Low Places_. Kurt pauses at the catalogue, glancing through the song choices as he feels Blaine hovering at his side. 

“I didn’t think it possible to hate you more, you know,” Kurt remarks without looking up. “But apparently I was wrong.” 

“You’re still sore because I called you a spinster.” 

“No, Blaine,” Kurt replies as he glances up at him. “I’m still _sore_ because you exist. I’m still _sore_ because you didn’t blink into oblivion the moment you walked out of my life.” 

“Ouch.” Blaine lays a hand over his heart and pouts, achieving both adorableness and obnoxiousness all at once. 

He hasn’t changed at all. 

“The kitten still has claws, I see.” 

Sighing and shaking his head, Kurt chooses his song, typing in the number so that it will be the next to play before turning and facing Blaine. He crosses his arms over his chest and smiles. “Look, you’re free to flaunt that charming act around the cast members all you want to, but let’s at least be honest with one another and acknowledge that that’s all it is—an act. Not for one moment do I believe you’re any different from the boy I knew in Lima, and I’m not buying the bullshit that you’re Mr. Sunshine and Rainbows, Disney’s most perfect prince, or whatever it is our coworkers over there seem to believe.” Kurt leans in close and tells him, “You seem to forget that I know you, no matter how many years it’s been.” 

Blaine stares up at him silently for a long moment, his expression mostly unreadable, other than the slight furrowing of his brow. Finally, he smiles just a little bit. “I’m counting on it, actually.” 

Kurt doesn’t even know what to think of that response. Flashing his ex a glare, he turns and makes his way over to the steps that lead on to the stage as the previous performers take their final bows and exit the opposite direction. Grabbing the nearest mic, Kurt takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and forces a bright smile out toward his coworkers as he hears them cheering. He can see Janelle and Holly sitting up on the back of the booth, waving their hands in the air. 

“I think a lot of you already know me,” Blaine is speaking into the mic, having already neatly slid into what Kurt used to refer to as his ‘game show host’ persona. If Kurt had a bat, he’d currently be beating him over the head with it. “I’d like to introduce you all to an old friend of mine from high school, Kurt Hummel.” There are applause, and more cheering from the booth toward the back. “I believe he’s chosen a song for us to perform for you tonight….” 

Kurt can feel Blaine looking at him curiously, and he continues to ignore him, smiling out at the crowd as he waits for the song to begin playing. As soon as the first notes can be heard, Kurt finally glances over at his ex; there’s a momentary widening of his eyes, and then Blaine is grinning and shaking his head, and flushing slightly as the crowd erupts into cheers of recognition. 

“ _At first I was afraid, I was petrified_ ,” Kurt sings, putting every ounce of rage he is feeling at the man standing beside him into the song. “ _Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong, and I learned how to get along._  

“ _And so you’re back. From outer space. I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face. I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key, if I’d have known for just one second you’d be back to bother me._ ” 

Kurt points a finger toward Blaine, really getting into the song now as the audience begins clapping along. “ _Go on now go! Walk out the door! Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore! Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye? Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I! I will survive! Oh as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive. I've got all my life to live and I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive! I will survive! Hey! Hey!_ ” 

As the audience continues clapping and shouting out words of encouragement, Kurt finds himself moving to the music, somewhat throwing down his own challenge as he looks over at Blaine, shaking his hips. Blaine rolls his eyes playfully and dances right into the spotlight as he takes up the next verse. 

“ _It took all the strength I had not to fall apart. Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart. And I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself, I used to cry… But now I hold my head up high! And you see me! Somebody new! I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you. And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free, but now I'm saving all my loving for someone who's loving me_!” 

Kurt continues dancing off to the side, unable to stop watching as Blaine slides into the chorus, adding in the little spins and hops that had always seemed to be his trademark. Blaine had always had a way of emoting through a song only matched by one Rachel Berry, and it is both comforting and annoying to see that part of him hasn’t changed. If Kurt has just affected the audience with the emotion in his voice, Blaine is currently doing it with his expressions and dramatic gestures. 

And as always, the crowd is eating it up. 

As the bridge begins, Kurt finds Blaine looking at him, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement, and Kurt nods his head only slightly as they both step into the spotlight and finish up the last chorus together. 

“ _Go on now go! Walk out the door! Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore! Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye? Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I! I will survive! Oh as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive. I've got all my life to live and I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive! I will survive! I will survive!_ ” 

Kurt isn’t surprised that by the end of their song, the entire place is on its feet. He and Blaine had always been an incredible match vocally, and apparently the years haven’t changed that. As they take their bows, Kurt hears Blaine ask, “So, did you get all of your rage out?” 

Smiling as he curtsies, Kurt responds, “If you believe that, you don’t know me very well at all.”

***********************************************************

 

“You look like you could use these.” 

Kurt glances up to find Todd standing over him in an eye-popping outfit of bright yellow from head to toe. It causes Kurt’s eyes to ache even more than they already do, and he winces slightly, snatching the bottle of Tylenol from his co-worker's hand as Todd laughs and drops into the chair across from his desk. 

“Interesting night last night, wouldn’t you say?” Todd asks, examining his nails as Kurt pops the bottle open and swallows down three pills with some of his bottled water. “Although,” Todd holds his hand out, fingers splayed in front of him as he seems to critically regard his cuticles, “I get the feeling the most interesting pieces were left unsaid.” 

Kurt narrows his eyes. “You do realize that you’re dressed like Big Bird, don’t you?” 

“Rowr!” Todd replies, curling his fingers. “Kitten’s got claws.” 

“I’ve got work to do,” Kurt dismisses him, turning his gaze to his monitor, which he just realizes he hasn’t even turned on yet. 

“I want the scoop, Hummel,” Todd says, cutting right to the chase as he leans forward in his chair. “So stop playing around. You and Blaine weren’t just friends in high school. If that wasn’t obvious from the rather tortuous cover of Miss Gaynor’s classic by the two of you, then it certainly was from the moon-eyes my future sex slave was sending in your direction while he sang songs of lover’s lament the rest of the night.” 

Honestly, that isn’t much of an exaggeration. Blaine had sung four more songs solo throughout the night, in between shots of Tequila that they had all been doing together, and truthfully, Kurt is far more embarrassed now that he thinks about it than he had been the night before. He blames it on how drunk he had allowed himself to get, and that maybe a little teensy, weensy part of him had missed Blaine Anderson singing to him. Luckily, even Blaine seemed to have realized at some point that he’d been overdoing it, and ended the night on a high note, leading the entire bar in a rather ridiculous rendition of _Hakuna Matata_. 

When they’d left the Rising Star, sometime after two in the morning, Kurt had caught Blaine staring at him from across the parking lot. He’d tried to ignore him, especially when Aidan had walked up beside him on his way to his car and commented, “Going home alone, Hummel? How tragic.” 

By the time he’d made it back to his condo, he had over fourteen texts from Janelle and Todd, demanding to know the scoop. Kurt had turned off his phone, ignoring every single one of their questions, and fallen into bed, fully clothed. It had been one of those nights. 

So dealing with Todd and his questions this morning, on top of the fact that Todd apparently thinks Blaine is all that and two dozen bags of chips, has Kurt in a worse mood than he initially had been on waking. Which is to say, fairly rotten considering he hasn’t suffered a hang-over like this since his first semester in college. 

“You’re not planning on sharing, are you?” Todd is eying him a bit dangerously now, as if he’s quite prepared to steal Kurt’s phone away, rummage through his contact list, and begin questioning every person Kurt has ever known. 

Kurt wonders if he’s quite hung over enough to puke all over the atrocity that is Todd’s ensemble. “There’s nothing to share,” Kurt reiterates, pulling a desk drawer open to grab a file—any file—and stand, swaying just a little as the room spins to march over to his file cabinet. He doesn’t know what he’s holding in his hand or what section he’s currently shoving in to, he just wants to look busy, and avoid this discussion as long as possible. 

When he turns back around, Todd is facing him, expression all assessing, plotting, well-manicured nails tapping against the back of the chair. He stands, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from his yellow trousers. “Very well. If you’re not going to share with me, I’m just going to have to gather my troops and begin a full frontal assault. Let’s see how well you withstand direct attacks from Janelle and Holly, hmmm?” 

Luckily, Holly seems rather uninterested. Or it could be some form of a plan of attack she’s staging. Kurt isn’t entirely certain. She mentions in passing as she pauses in the doorway to his office later that morning how Blaine is rather good-looking, and everyone who works at the property is in love with him. She doesn’t say much else, just stares at Kurt as he stares back at her, hoping he’s affecting the proper withering gaze he wishes to get across, but he’s fairly certain he’s failed when she flashes him a small, bright smile and continues on her way. 

Unfortunately, it’s Janelle who Kurt has trouble withstanding. Janelle who takes him to lunch at off-property at Panera, where Kurt orders the strawberry poppyseed and chicken salad, and sits with his salad and tea next to the window while Janelle slides into the chair across from him, a steaming bowl of French onion soup and half a turkey artichoke sandwich on her tray. As she doesn’t say anything at first, taking a sip of her diet coke and pulling off a piece of her baguette to dip into her soup, Kurt relaxes somewhat and begins eating his salad. After spending the majority of the morning feeling dreadful, the fresh blueberries and flavorful chicken are ridiculously refreshing. 

“Small world.” 

“Hmm?” Kurt glances up from his salad to find Janelle with her elbows on the table, taking a small bite of her sandwich. 

She chews and licks and her lips and says again, “Small world. You running into your high school sweetheart and all that.” 

 _Well, hell_. Making a face, Kurt stabs at a strawberry a little harder than necessary. “Yes... well. Whatever.” 

Janelle looks like she’s talking about the rising humidity in the air over the last few days as she comments, “He’s very popular around here. Blaine. They call him ‘Mouseketeer’.” 

“ _They_?” Kurt arches a brow, but keeps his gaze focused on the rather large salad in front of him. He shouldn’t be asking; he shouldn’t even be curious. But then, Kurt Hummel’s done rather stupid stuff in the past. 

“Everyone.” Janelle sets her sandwich down and picks up her spoon, dipping it into the cheese-covered broth. “From the floral department to any one of our many Mickey’s. I honestly don’t think I’ve ran into anyone who doesn’t at least _know_ of Blaine Anderson.” 

Quietly setting his fork to the side of the bowl, Kurt crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his seat. He eyes Janelle with one of his most fierce glares. Sadly, he sees amusement dance in her dark eyes before she focuses on her lunch. Sighing, Kurt looks away, pursing his lips just slightly as he wonders what it is he can tell her that will appease her curiosity without giving her the full scoop on a relationship he’d rather pretend never existed. 

“I’m not entirely surprised to hear that,” Kurt says after a moment, reaching up to smooth a hair in his bangs back into place. “Blaine claims he spent most of his life unpopular. I never had the chance to see such a thing.” 

He sighs, the words coming a little bit easier as he glances back over at Janelle. “When I met him, he referred to himself and the a Capella group he was in as ‘rock stars’. I’d thought he was exaggerating a bit, but he wasn’t. After I joined, I quickly realized that it wasn’t so much the Warblers as it was _Blaine_ that the other students flocked to see perform. I was... jealous. Envious. Who wouldn’t be? I spent most of my life doing the most outrageous things to get the attention that people just seemed inclined to throw at Blaine. When he walked into a room, people looked at him. Really looked. Even when he was trying not to be noticed. Knowing that hasn’t changed?” Kurt shrugs. “I wish I could say I was shocked.” 

He examines his nails for a moment, hoping it appears to Janelle that he’s far more interested in the need for a manicure than talking about the boy who had changed his life more than once. “It wasn’t just Dalton. He transferred to McKinley with me our senior year and he,” Kurt shook his head, smiling slightly, “actually worried about not making friends. Admittedly, I found myself suffering from random bouts of jealousy all over again. And pride. I loved that my friends loved him. That he made friends with people who hadn’t said a word to me in my four years at McKinley. After all, _I_ was the one who’s hand he held walking down the halls. I was the one he sang to and laughed with and learned with and--” 

Kurt abruptly cuts himself off as the memories begin assailing him. He hasn’t thought about Blaine, and him and Blaine, like this in years. It’s so overwhelming his chest feels tight, and he has to stop and just breathe because it hurts, because it hasn’t hurt this much in a long time. Kurt reaches out for his fork once more, picking it up and playing with the brightly colored salad, poking at a piece of pineapple that he knows is juicy and sweet but can’t quite bring himself to eat at the moment. 

“I’m sorry.” 

When Kurt looks at Janelle, her eyes are huge and round, and just a little bit shinier than they should be. His resolve remains steely, and he looks back down at his lunch, catching some chicken, lettuce and an orange slice between the tongs and shoving it into his mouth. It’s somehow blander than the earlier bites. 

“I’m sorry,” she says again, her voice too soft and too caring. “I hadn’t realized. I thought... well, high school romances and all, I wouldn’t have pried if... well, if I had realized you were so in love.” 

Kurt has trouble not choking on the bite as he swallows, fingers tightening around the stem of his fork. He forces a smile as he glances over at her. “It was a long time ago,” he tells her. “How is your sandwich? Normally I’m not a fan of the empty calories sandwiches tend to provide, but that artichoke spread looks heavenly.” 

Kurt’s favorite thing about Janelle: she’s a smart woman. She takes the hint for what it is, and Blaine isn’t mentioned again the rest of the day.


	2. Part Two

Things finally seem to settle down for Kurt over the next week. He hasn’t had any more random encounters with Blaine, and his coworkers appear to have finally accepted his refusal to answer their questions. Though he’s fairly certain Todd is the one who keeps sticking post-it notes like You suck, Hummel! and I didn’t want to know about your sordid past anyway! on his door. He’d make a complaint about harassment if he weren’t retaliating with his own post-it’s like Who taught you how to dress? The softer side of Sears?? on Todd’s office door.

Kurt makes it through assisting with his first wedding that Thursday, and he spends the majority of the day in a state of awe, from getting the bride and her bridesmaids into their private dressing room to getting the guests and wedding party onto their buses after the festivities are over--this is the well-oiled machine that is the Disney Wedding Group. He’d planned and coordinated his share of weddings over the past five years, and if there was one thing Kurt had learned in that time it was to expect something, anything, no matter how minute it may appear, to go completely and utterly wrong. It’s the job of an event planner to be prepared for these things, handle them with professional aplomb and move on. Or rather, for the wedding planner, it meant never, ever letting the bride know that anything was other than absolutely perfect.

Except, Kurt spends the entire day following Janelle around, running errands and meeting dozens of other Disney cast members involved in the process, and never once notices anything out of place. The food is where it’s supposed to be, every item specific to the request, and tastes absolutely phenomenal (Kurt kind of loves that they get to sample the dishes back in the Epcot kitchens). Every song on the DJs playlist is exactly what the bride and groom asked for, and the guests don’t stop dancing until well past the designated ending time. Even down to the little details, such as the bride needing a safety pin, and Janelle magically pulling one out of—well, honestly, Kurt still has no idea where it came from.

He’s exhausted by the time it’s all over, and it appears that the rest of the cast members are as well as they work together to get the reception area picked up and make certain nothing was left behind. Kurt assists Janelle in gathering various wedding gifts and cards left by the guests to make certain they get to the bridal suite the next morning, and there’s a half bottle of champagne that they split in celebration of the day’s events running smoothly. When Kurt questions her as to how, exactly, the entire day went off without a hitch, Janelle simply giggles at him and says, “It’s Disney, silly. As if anything ever goes wrong here.”

Kurt side-eyes her throughout the rest of the clean up.

Friday morning Kurt spends the first hour with Janelle, putting many of the props they used for the previous day’s wedding back into storage. What they don’t have on hand, she explains, they find from other departments around the park. It’s the best part of running a wedding planning business at Disney World—everything they need is on already on hand. Photographers, caterers, florists, designers, printers, entertainers, DJs, cars, drivers, bridal suites, honeymoon packages… the list goes on. It’s one-stop shopping and planning for any couple, from those who just want to spend a little on a simple and quiet ceremony with two guests and a small cake, to those with more money than sense who want to get married at Cinderella’s castle complete with a horse-drawn pumpkin carriage and fireworks.

Kurt would be disgusted if he didn’t see the fabulous creative potential in every wedding that ended up on his desk.

With new inspiration in hand, Kurt sets to work that morning on adding ideas to his own upcoming weddings after Janelle disappears to put together details on the final invoice for yesterday’s happy couple. He has another meeting scheduled with Lenore McCafferty on Monday—she can’t seem to decide exactly where she wants to have the ceremony and reception. She’d seemed dead set on Cinderella’s castle, but now she’s making noises about moving it to the Swan Prince area in Fantasyland and… well, Kurt is really trying not to focus on that too much.

“You know it’s fate, right?”

The sound of the familiar voice doesn’t surprise him in the least, but Kurt does feel his shoulders tense slightly.

“There’s no such thing.” Kurt doesn’t bother looking up from the list of site suggestions he’s adding for the McCafferty wedding. He can feel Blaine standing in the doorway, gaze trained on him, steady and thoughtful. Kurt tries to concentrate solely on the wording before him.

“Really?” Blaine’s voice sounds amused.

Kurt sees him in the edge of his vision as he drops into one of the chairs on the other side of the desk; dark wash jeans snug in all the right places and a red polo, also snug in all the right places. He focuses on the screen once more— _ the Beauty and the Beast section has far more potential than the Swan Prince section _ , he types,  _ the story is timeless as well as classic, and while the Swan Prince has certainly captured the imagination of current audiences, it has not proven itself yet as trustworthy _ … wait, that isn’t the correct word.

“Funny how it’s coincidence, then, that after six years apart, not a word exchanged between us, and we both end up at Disney World in Orlando.”

Kurt shrugs and finally looks up. Blaine is all loose, soft curls and five o’clock shadow, and it hits Kurt then that he’s all grown up, and when did that happen, and why hadn’t Kurt been there to see it? He thinks about asking when Blaine decided to give up the pomade, but that’s too personal a question, and he doesn’t want to get personal. In fact, he just wants Blaine to leave.

“Not to quote our employer or anything,” Kurt says archly, “but it’s a small world, and all that.”

Blaine smiles, and Kurt’s heart does that little thing it hasn’t done in over six years, and he hates himself, and Blaine, for it. “In any other circumstance, I might agree with that but considering the two of us were both destined for Broadway, for our names in lights, for great things—“

“Honestly, I’d always pictured you ending out the rest of your days at an amusement park. The humiliation of it seems to suit you. But if you’re implying that landing a position in the Disney Wedding group is not great, then you can kindly take that implication and shove it up your—“

“There’s those claws again.” Blaine gives him another smile and holds up his hands. “No, that’s not what I meant to imply, Kurt. Only that I don’t think the words ‘Disney World’ ever left either of our lips when discussing our future. Unless, of course, it involved taking our kids here on vacation.”

Swallowing, Kurt looks away from Blaine and back at the menu on the screen. Three of the sentences before him don’t even make sense; all written since Blaine had stepped into his office. They’d had countless conversations about the future back in high school—what their wedding would be like, where they’d go on their honeymoon, what they’d name their kids, if they’d be sent to private or public school. Their entire future completely mapped out.

And here they are; neither together or in New York.

Setting his shoulders, Kurt looks back at Blaine. “First, I ask that you never bring up the past to me, again. And second, please leave. I have a lot of work to do.”

“I’ve hit a nerve.” Blaine sounds incredibly pleased with himself as he gets to his feet and starts toward the door. He pauses there for a moment and turns back to Kurt. “Before I go, though, I’d just like to point out one little thing to you—I wasn’t the one that ended us, Kurt. Have a nice day.”

Kurt stares after him, heart beat growing slightly erratic as a memory he’s spent years trying to forget, returns…   
  


_ Weekday afternoons were always spent pouring over homework together so that they could spend more time on weekends doing things they enjoyed like going to shows, shopping, sex… okay, so that had only occurred a few times, and generally involved lots of planning to find a suitable place where they wouldn’t be interrupted, and no one would be any wiser to their activities. Usually their homework sessions took place in Kurt’s room, ever since Burt had discovered that Blaine’s parents were rarely ever home, and consisted of one-half actual studying, and the other half stretched out on Kurt’s bed, kissing and touching and as much as they could do without shedding too many clothes. While Burt doesn’t seem to care any longer when the door ends up closed, they’re all still a bit traumatized from the time Carole walked in without knocking to see a lot more of her stepson and his boyfriend than she had ever planned. _

_ Blaine is in the kitchen, fixing a snack for himself (Kurt’s grown to adore the fact that his boyfriend somehow manages to eat more than Finn at times) and Kurt’s staring at the calculus question in front of him as if by giving it his fiercest glare possible, it might solve itself. His annoyance with the problem manifests itself in the breaking of the point of his pencil against the paper and Kurt sighs, turning his glare from the equation to the useless writing utensil in his hand. Glancing from it to the desk on the other side of the room where the sharpener is located, Kurt considers the effort it will take to actually put his stuff aside, get up from the bed, walk across the room for the sharpener, and then somehow force himself to get settled once more and back to his homework. Deciding that he would more likely end up in the kitchen downstairs with Blaine if he moved, he chooses the other option available to him—digging through Blaine’s bag for another pencil. _

_ His boyfriend has an odd fascination with writing utensils. It was one of the first quirks Kurt had discovered about him back when they were first getting to know one another. They’d been wandering around town, stopping at various stores on a shopping excursion when Blaine had led him into an Office Max and proceeded to spend over fifty dollars on pens and colored pencils. After that, Kurt began to take notice of the fact that Blaine had different colored pens for every possible need one could come up with; the drawers in his room were stuffed with fancy pens, cheap pens, fat pens, markers, calligraphy pens, gel pens, any type of pen imaginable. More than once, Kurt had suggested he seek some kind of professional help, but honestly, it was damn handy now that they were once more attending the same school, and Kurt had a tendency to lose his own pens. _

_ Pulling out the stack of notebooks and papers cluttered in Blaine’s bag—the collecting of writing utensils wouldn’t be such an issue if the boy actually knew how to organize anything—Kurt sets them to the side and digs through the bottom. He withdraws his hand with six pens clutched between his fingers. Sighing, he lays them on the bed beside him and reaches in again. This time when he pulls back, he’s succeeded in gathering not only three more pens, but also two pencils. One is decidedly dull, and looks as if it’s been chewed on (seriously, Blaine??), but the other looks newly purchased, never used, and very sharp. _

_ Kurt hums happily to himself with his success as he slides the writing utensils neatly into a side pocket—Blaine may not care about organization, but he certainly does—and then reaches out to pick up the stack of papers and notebooks. His hand pauses as he stares at the top piece of paper. It’s a letter address to Blaine. A formal-looking letter printed neatly on letterhead from UCLA. Kurt knows it isn’t polite to read someone else’s mail, but his eyes still scan through it briefly, widening the moment he reads: We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance… _

_ Wait. What? _

_ By the time Blaine returns to the room with a plated sandwich and chips, Kurt has found three acceptance letters from universities in California. Three letters to colleges in a state he and Blaine had only briefly discussed long ago before making the decision that New York is the only place to be. _

_ Kurt is livid. _

_ It isn’t so much that Blaine applied to other colleges, it isn’t that there is apparently some part of Blaine not completely sold on the idea of New York, it’s that Blaine never told him, never bothered to discuss it with him. It’s the fact that as Kurt stands there screaming at him, letters in hand, he feels as if maybe he doesn’t matter as much as he’d been led to believe; it’s the terrifying and crippling fear that maybe what their love had meant more to him than it did to Blaine. That maybe all along this had just been some high school thing for Blaine, to be forgotten and tossed aside the moment graduation hit. Every single word that leaves his mouth that late afternoon in March is driven by the fear that he’ll be alone again, that the boy he loves more than anything in the world doesn’t love him enough to stay with him beyond Lima, Ohio. _

_ Kurt doesn’t listen. He doesn’t hear the words Blaine says back to him; they don’t matter. Nothing matters other than the evidence in his hand, the clear and indisputable proof that Blaine doesn’t love him. That they don’t have a future together. _

_ That Blaine lied about everything. _

_ By the time Kurt has sent Blaine away, throwing his letters and his bag and his pencil at him and shoving his shoulders until Blaine is forced to turn and move of his own accord or be thrown down the stairs, Kurt has fully convinced himself that Blaine has always meant to hurt him. He sobs into his pillow that night, and Finn and his dad and Carole all try to talk to him, but he doesn’t want to hear it. His phone vibrates repeatedly on the nightstand beside him until he turns it off, and deletes everything without looking the following morning when he turns it back on. _

_ That day at school isn’t much better. Blaine attempts to approach him throughout, but Kurt prefers to make him suffer. By the time the last bell rings, Kurt decides he’ll give Blaine the chance to explain himself (the repeated comments from his friends throughout the day that he owes Blaine at least that much fueling his decision more than anything) and approaches him at his locker. _

_ The conversation doesn’t go as planned. From what the others had said, Kurt isn’t getting the full story. That’s why he’s supposed to give Blaine the chance to explain himself. But the moment Blaine turns to him, making some accusation about Kurt not trusting him, everything falls apart. Kurt yells back about Blaine having no right to talk about trust, and then Blaine is walking away, and Kurt’s shouting things--I hate you! I hate you! Go then! I don’t care--at him he’ll regret only moments later. _

_ Moments too late. _

_ It takes two weeks for Kurt to fully accept they’re not together anymore. Blaine won’t accept his apology and they fall into a careful dance of avoiding each other as much as possible, even through glee and a trip to Nationals. Rachel and Blaine sing a duet prior to the group number, and the entire audience is on their feet throughout, and they place first, ahead of Vocal Adrenaline. Everyone celebrates except Kurt and Blaine. _

_ They speak only twice more. Once at graduation, when Burt and Carole seek Blaine out to congratulate him, dragging Kurt along. The words exchanged are short and polite, and quickly forgotten. _

_ The next is during a party at Santana’s house in August. Kurt does his best to avoid Blaine throughout the night, watching as his closest friends in the world fall into drunken stupors and tears over the idea of how much things are about to change. In a week he’ll be off to New York with Rachel, where they’ll both be attending NYU. Blaine had been accepted there as well—their letters had arrived on the same day in early March—but Kurt doesn’t know where he’s going now. _

_ They both somehow end up on the porch a few hours before dawn. At first Kurt thinks Blaine will ignore him and head off toward the driveway; his car keys are in his hand. But then Blaine is turning toward him, and their gazes dart from the porch railing to one another repeatedly before Kurt finds himself wishing Blaine luck in his future. He swears for months after that Blaine had looked ready to say something else, something more meaningful and important and maybe, maybe something to make everything right again. But in the end, he just says thanks and you too, and then he leaves. _

_ It’s almost six years until they see one another again… _   
  


“Rough day at the office?”

Kurt looks up to find Janelle with her hip leaning against his desk, watching him. He takes a breath, looking away to blink back the tears he feels threatening at his memories. His coworker is suddenly holding a tissue out to him.

“Take it.” She waves it at him. “If I had lost a guy who looks like that in a polo shirt, I’d own stock in Kleenex by now.”

He laughs a little at her carefully placed joke as he takes the tissue and wipes his eyes. “It was my fault, you know.”

Kurt looks up at her, hoping there won’t be condemnation or disappointment in her eyes. Half the wedding pavilion seems to be in love with Blaine Anderson; the other half at least in lust. Janelle just looks back at him, though, as if confused.

“I was angry,” he tells her quietly, glancing down at his fingers as he tears at the tissue, “and a bit insecure, I guess. I made plans and had dreams and expected him to be there beside me through every moment of it, and he always smiled and nodded and seemed in complete agreement. And then the one moment that we seemed to fall out of step… I didn’t handle very well. Instead of just talking it through and seeing where things might have led us, I kind of…exploded. I accused him of not loving me enough and putting himself first and—“ Kurt sighs. “I’m a horrible person.”

“Sounds to me like you were a teenager,” Janelle responds, this time holding a Hershey’s kiss out to him, which he doesn’t turn down. “Look, Kurt, I don’t know all of the little details about your and Blaine’s relationship when you were kids, but from the sounds of it, I’d say it was pretty special. I’d also say that the man who walked out of here a few minutes ago hasn’t forgotten that.”

Biting his lip, Kurt stares at the menu on his screen for a long moment. How is he supposed to focus on other peoples’ ‘happily ever afters’ if he can’t get past the lack of his own? “What if we’ve changed too much?” he asks, glancing back over at her. “Or hell, too little?”

“I think you’re worrying about the ‘what ifs’ a little too much, Kurt,” Janelle replies with a smile as she pulls away from the desk, and moves toward the door. “I also think you’re forgetting where you are.” Her fingers tap at the framed picture of Magic Kingdom hanging on his wall as she slips through the doorway. “Where dreams come true,” she calls out from down the hall.

Kurt snorts loudly in response.   
  


***********************************************************   
  


The odd thing about working at Disney World is how easily the magic of Disney loses it’s luster. One minute you’re standing on Main Street staring at a fairy tale castle, greeting enormous mice wearing clothing and being pampered by some of the best customer service in the world. The next, you step through a gate into the back lot, and... well, it all falls away. Everything is gray and dingy and there are cigarette butts on the ground and the occasional piece of trash, cast members are glaring more often than they’re smiling and the loud whirl of engines and smell of gasoline taint the homey scent of fresh made fudge you just smelled on your way past the candy shop. Kurt likens stepping backstage to watching  _ The Wizard of Oz _ the first time it happened--going from glorious Technicolor to depressing black and white.

Unfortunately, most of his job happens behind the scenes. He only really gets the chance to browse the magical world of Disney when he’s showing prospective clients around. Working events affords him barely a glance, and any tour he’s been on with his coworkers has consisted of darting from one place to another, learning the technical aspects of what makes it work, and spending no time actually enjoying it.

Therefore, if someone were to ask him if he liked Disney World, Kurt would answer in all likelihood with a resounding no. Disney World meant work; he had yet to see this happiest place on earth.

Disney World, in Kurt’s mind, also meant danger. That chance coincidence where he could, at any moment, run into Blaine Anderson with no chance for escape. For the most part, he’s done well at avoiding him, and Janelle has graciously become an ally in his need to do so ever since she learned the awful truth of what she now deems as ‘love gone wrong’. Kurt sside-eyesher every time she says it, because he has yet to decide if she’s being serious or trying to make a point. He still catches her talking about Blaine with the others as if he’s the bee’s knees, but when he’s with her, she pats his shoulder and coos about how awful it must be to work with your ex.

April is the calm before the storm when it comes to weddings. It’s a slow build, as if the wedding world is preparing you for what’s to come in May and June. The weeks start out with smaller weddings occupying most of the Disney groups time, and slowly become bigger, and happen more often as the month continues. Kurt quickly finds himself wondering why anyone would voluntarily choose to get married in Florida, especially outdoors in Florida, where the weather is ridiculously unpredictable. Well, perhaps not so much unpredictable as flat out  _ stupid _ . Ten minute thunderstorms are pretty much guaranteed, it’s just the when and the where and the what to do in the meantime that suck. His coworkers look at him and laugh and throw comments around like “Just wait until summer.” Kurt tries not to even think about it.

It’s Thursday, and he’s in the back lot behind Main Street at the Magic Kingdom, discussing a photo shoot with Mike, one of the Disney photographers. Couples can arrange for shoots in places like Cinderella’s castle and the carousel, except that they take place in the wee hours of the morning, before the sun has risen, before visitors begin swamping the parks. It’s a time of day that few people who aren’t cast members actually get the chance to see--when flowers are planted, blocks of cement are repaved, every single surface in the park is cleaned and polished to a sparkling shine. The couple lined up for the following morning--the Robys, a relatively small wedding that Kurt has enjoyed putting together--have changed their minds three times between doing the session in Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Mike is about to flip out. He’s certain that the couple will change their mind again, at least once, right before the shoot takes place.

Luckily, the Robys aren’t paying enough for Kurt to fall back on the customer is always right. He assures Mike that they won’t be allowed to change it at this point, and starts his way toward the employee bus stop.

“And here I thought you were actively avoiding me.”

Kurt looks up at Blaine’s voice to see him coming in his direction, decked out in his white Swan Prince costume, and flanked on either side by Prince Charming and Prince Eric. Pulling a face as the princes approach, Kurt crosses his arms and says, “Why do I suddenly have the overwhelming urge to curtsy?”

The ridiculously handsome men in front of him laugh. “You should never resist such urges,” Charming says.

Kurt curtsies in response, earning more laughter.

“Parades in ten, guys!” A handler shouts from somewhere behind Kurt.

“I’ll catch up with you,” Blaine tells Eric and Charming as they head off, before returning his attention to Kurt. “No, really. I thought you might hire an errand boy or something to make all of your trips into the park.”

“As tempting as the idea is, a) I prefer doing things on my own, and b) I was hoping my luck would be such that I’d narrowly miss seeing you during every visit. Alas, t’was not meant to be, it seems.” Kurt doesn’t know why he’s standing there, talking and joking with Blaine, but he’s not as perturbed as he thought he might be at the accidental meeting.

Blaine’s smiling at him, in that same too-warm way that he always has, the very smile that had caused Kurt to fall in love with him almost instantly the first time they met. His hair appears to be determined to escape the pomade holding it in place, and there are a few errant curls over his forehead and against his right temple.

Kurt wonders if he has a boyfriend.

“So, since you’re apparently fearless enough to visit,” Blaine begins, settling into conversation as if he doesn’t have a parade float to get to, “what’s your favorite thing to do here in MK?”

“ _ Do _ ?” Kurt looks around, wondering what exactly there is to do in the back lot. “I mean, other than attempt to avoid my ex, that is.”

Blaine’s smile broadens for a moment, as if Kurt’s joking or something. “Yeah, do. Like, your favorite ride? Favorite place to eat? Do you enjoy watching the shows or the parade? The fireworks--well, everyone loves the fireworks.”

Kurt shifts his feet and looks away, brow furrowing a little at the question. “Well, I... that is, I haven’t really had time to just come here and visit. Like, a tourist or something. That and, this doesn’t really seem like the type of activity one does alone.” He looks back at Blaine, who’s gaping at him as if he’d just said Barbara Streisand was a mediocre singer.

“You haven’t,” Blaine flails his arms around him (which is actually quite amusing seeing as how one of his arms is an enormous white wing), “enjoyed the magical wonder that is Disney?”

Kurt can’t help but arch an eyebrow at that. “Really, Blaine? It’s just an amusement park.”

Blaine’s eyes widen to an impossibly ridiculous size and he’s shaking his hand, and flailing his arm and wing again as he tells Kurt, “Oh, no no no. This won’t do. This just--Kurt Hummel, how can you possibly expect to convince future brides to spend their money here when you yourself don’t know how amazing and magical and happy this place truly is?”

“You sound like a brochure, Blaine,” Kurt points out dryly. “Besides, which, I’ve been doing a fairly fantastic job so far.”

“Hey, Mouseketeer!” The same handler calls out. “If you don’t get your ass on that float, I’m going to rip those feathers out of your wing, one by one!”

Blaine leans past Kurt to yell back, “You do realize this wing isn’t actually attached, right?”

“Parade, Anderson!  _ Now _ !”

Blaine brings his gaze back to Kurt and he takes a step forward, and Kurt has to use every ounce of willpower within him not to take a step back. “When’s your next day off?”

Kurt blinks.  _ Oh, no _ . “Sunday, and Monday.” If his voice is slightly higher than usual, Blaine doesn’t seem to notice.

“I’m off Monday, too,” Blaine says with a nod, another bright smile appearing. “You’re going to meet me outside of those gates,” he says, pointing toward the main entrance. “And I’m going to show you just what the magic of Disney is all about.”

“That’s really not necessary--”

“Consider it a professional courtesy.”

Kurt rolls his eyes at that, and Blaine laughs.

“ _ Anderson _ , goddammit!”

“I’m coming!” Blaine shouts back, stepping around Kurt and reaching out to touch his shoulder as he does so.

He’s standing a little too close now, hand still lingering against the silk of Kurt’s dress shirt and vest, forearm pressed against his bicep. It’s impossible, Kurt knows, but he could swear Blaine’s eyelashes have somehow grown over the last six years. It’s criminal that anyone should have the eyelashes Blaine possesses. Kurt has the urge to kick him for it. What had Prince Charming said about urges?

“Nine am, Monday morning,” Blaine tells him, still holding Kurt’s gaze. “If you don’t show up, I’ll visit the Wedding Pavilion every day from Tuesday on. The only way to escape me will be to quit your job and become a hermit somewhere like Utah or something.”

“Well, that’s a sufficiently terrifying motivation to get me to agree,” Kurt says archly. He sighs and shakes his head just a bit. “Fine. But this isn’t a date.”

“Was it really necessary to point that out, Kurt?”

“With you? Yes.”   
  


***********************************************************

  
  
Kurt almost doesn’t go.

But then he thinks about exiling himself to Utah, and how he has no doubt that Blaine will hold to his promise, and he finds himself on the ferry with a couple hundred other park visitors. He feels a little silly being there, as an employee and all, even if he does realize no one around him actually knows he’s an employee. Beyond that, his clothing and the fact he doesn’t have a family attached to him do tend to make him stand out. Most people who know him would consider his outfit for the day relatively simple by Kurt Hummel standards. Kurt would beg to differ: the gray, slim-fitted John Varvatos slacks, black short-sleeve Michael Kors button-down and black Salvatore Ferragamo loafers are understated but sharp. Maybe no one else will notice, but Kurt’s certain Blaine will. And Kurt knows he was being silly the night before when it took him over two hours to finally decide on his outfit. After all, like he’d told Blaine  _ this isn’t a date _ , and why he had gone out of his way to take extra special care in the choice of his ensemble makes little to no sense.

The twisted psychology behind that reasoning hasn’t escaped Kurt’s notice.  _ This isn’t a date _ . He doesn’t  _ want _ it to be a date. He doesn’t care if Blaine regrets not fixing things between them because he  _ doesn’t harbor feelings for Blaine any longer _ .

So the irony of why he’s bothering to look even better than usual--for a trip to an amusement park no less--isn’t lost to Kurt.

Shuffling off of the ferry and up the winding path toward the main gate to Magic Kingdom, Kurt glances toward the sky, wondering if they might just escape the requisite downpour for the day. At the moment, the sky above is bright and blue, it’s warm but not overly so, and by the sheer amount of shorts being worn around him, Kurt figures everyone is anticipating a fairly nice day. It’s the overpowering scent of cheap sunscreen that has Kurt repeatedly wrinkling his nose. Yes, he never leaves the house without it, but his doesn’t smell like the summer clearance section at Walmart.

“Hey! Kurt!”

Glancing up at the call, Kurt tries not to smile as Blaine practically bounds through the crowd over to him, dressed in jeans that aren’t quite tight enough to be considered obscene but getting there (Blaine always has had an ass worthy of long stares that may or may not include the sexual fantasy or two), and a gunmetal gray polo with a tiny little Mickey Mouse over the left corner of his chest. His curls are loose and fluffy today, and it appears that he decided to forgo shaving, a pattern of dark stubble adding a surprising ruggedness to the line of his jaw.

For all that Kurt cannot begin to accept the idea of them ever being together again, he has to admit to himself that Blaine is still one of the most devastatingly gorgeous men he’s ever known.  _ Damn him _ .

“Got your ID with you?” Blaine asks, and Kurt can barely nod before Blaine is taking his hand and guiding him through the throngs of visitors waiting to make their way inside the park. Kurt wants to snatch his hand away, he really does--no one hear needs to get the wrong impression as to them being together--but he figures they could easily get separated, so this is likely for the best.

“Hey, Mouseketeer! Gotta admit I was surprised when I didn’t see you here yesterday.”

Kurt watches as Blaine gives the girl at the turn-stile a quick hug before stepping back and waving a hand toward Kurt. “Lucie, this is Kurt. He recently joined the wedding group in their quest to rid all newlyweds of their hard-earned money. Kurt, this is Lucie. She’s my favorite cast member at MK.”

“Everyone is your favorite cast member,” Lucie says, rolling her eyes at Blaine, before flashing a smile at Kurt. “It’s nice to meet you, Kurt. Welcome to Disney. You must be a brave soul to venture into the Magic Kingdom with Mouse.”

“He’s the bravest person I’ve ever met,” Blaine replies solemnly.

“Well, in that case,” Lucie says, taking their IDs and scanning them before handing them back over. “You both have a good time! And try not to scare our paying customers, Mouse.”

“Hey, I make no promises.” Blaine laughs and tosses her a quick wave before grabbing Kurt’s hand again and leading him on through the archway into the park.

As they step into Main Street Town Square, Kurt tugs his hand away from Blaine’s, making a show of reaching into his pocket to check his phone when Blaine looks back at him. Not that he needs an excuse to not hold hands with his ex; it’s just that he doesn’t want to deal with the injured puppy face this early in the morning.

“Welcome, folks! Would you like to take a photo?”

“No.”

“Yes!”

Kurt glares daggers at Blaine as he slides his arm around Kurt’s waist and tugs him to his side. Blaine points ahead, as if Kurt doesn’t know what a photograph is. “Look at the camera and smile, Kurt.”

“I don’t want to smile, Blaine. I don’t want to take a picture.”

“Of course you do,” Blaine argues, pointing toward the photographer again. “Everyone wants a picture their first time to Disney World.”

“This isn’t my first time--”

“Work doesn’t count.”

Kurt sighs, realizing he’s not going to get out of this as the photographer calls out for them to smile, and he forces one that he’s certain looks as pained as it feels. The photographer glances down at his screen and nods as Blaine leaves Kurt’s side and wanders over to him, asking to see the picture. Kurt has to hold in a smile because the young man appears to be honestly surprised at the request, and finally holds the camera out to Blaine to show him. As Kurt wanders over, Blaine is thanking him for taking their photo, and asking if this is just a temporary job or if he’s really interested in photography. Kurt almost feels a little sorry for the guy because he honestly looks as if he isn’t sure how to respond.

Just when Kurt is about to interrupt, another photographer joins them; an older lady who punches Blaine in the arm. “Leave the kid alone, Mouseketeer. He’s only been here two weeks. You don’t want to scare him off.”

“I’m being friendly, Wendy.”

“Yes, well sometimes your idea of friendly is a bit much for people who don’t know you.”

Laughing, Blaine introduces Kurt to Wendy, and the new photographer, whose name is Keith, before wishing them a good day and leading Kurt down Main Street toward the castle. Kurt glances at Blaine for a moment, noting the bright smile. It’s kind of impossible to miss.

“So... Mouse?” he asks, amusement in his tone.

Blaine shrugs, cheeks reddening slightly as he swings to the right suddenly, leading Kurt into a candy shop. The scent of fudge and cotton candy and sugary everything is a little overwhelming so early in the morning. “That started back when I was still doing summer internships. I think my supervisor started it--not entirely certain. She used to say I was the only person on the property with more enthusiasm than Mickey Mouse. That if anything, I should be in the Mickey Mouse Club. So I used to come to work every morning, singing the song. She started calling me Mouseketeer and it stuck.”

“But isn’t Mouse rather... er...”

“Insulting?” Blaine grins over at Kurt as he picks up a Rice Krispy treat shaped like Mickey’s head on a stick. “Kurt Hummel, are you still making short jokes after all of these years?”

Kurt purses his lips to keep from smiling. “At least you don’t have large ears. Are you really going to eat that? It’s barely after nine, and a little early for a sugar high.”

“Its cereal,” Blaine points out rather seriously.

“It is not.”

“Rice Krispies are totally cereal. Want one?”

“No.”

Blaine picks a second one up. “I’ll get you one in case you change your mind.”

“I can’t believe you’re still a human garbage disposal,” Kurt comments, shaking his head a bit as he follows Blaine toward the register.

“Hey. I’m still a growing boy--”

Kurt lets himself laugh at that.

“Shut up. I am. Remember, dreams come true here.” He steps up and pulls out his wallet, smiling and greeting the woman behind the register, who also apparently knows who he is, and Kurt finds he’s not the least surprised.

“There’s a point where you need to stop wishing on a star,” Kurt says as they exit the store. “Some things even Disney can’t do.”

“Bite your tongue.” Blaine opens a Mickey head and tears off one of the ears. He says as he chews, “In the immortal words of Peter Pan ‘I believe! I believe!’”

“If I remember my childhood correctly, he was referring to fairies, not adult growth spurts.”

Blaine shrugs. “Well, I believe in fairies, too... Obviously.”

Kurt rolls his eyes, but playfully because it isn’t until now that he realizes how much he missed this--the easy banter that once existed between them. “Your jokes still aren’t funny.”

“That’s just because you  _ still _ haven’t acquired a sense of humor.”

They end up making their way over to Tomorrowland, which Blaine says is one of his favorite areas of the park. Kurt almost asks why it’s not Fantasyland, and then realizes it’s probably because he has to work there. He quickly discovers, though, that the main reason it seems to be Blaine’s favorite section is because Blaine’s favorite ride is located there--Space Mountain.

Now, while Kurt has never been a huge fan of roller coasters, he does enjoy them. He doesn’t like having his hair windblown or dealing with the jackasses who scream and throw their hands in the air and basically behave like unmannered two-year olds, but for the most part, roller coasters have always been enjoyable.

At least, outdoor roller coasters. Roller coasters where he can see what’s coming.

Kurt spends the entire two and a half minutes of the ride screaming, and grabbing onto Blaine, who’s sitting in front of him, by the shoulders, holding on for dear life. The thing is, this terrifying belief that since he can’t see the track in front of him absolutely must mean that it is not actually there, comes over him. He hears other people screaming as cars fly past him somewhere in the darkness, and he’s positive they are careening to their deaths, and he won’t be far behind. Blaine, on the other hand, is laughing, cheering, occasionally throwing his hands in the air like those obnoxious jackasses Kurt cannot stand. He imagines that there are low-hanging rafters, and Blaine will end up hand-less by the end of the ride.

If they don’t plunge to their deaths first.

Unfortunately for Kurt, on their way in, Blaine had stopped to chat with one of the cast members who worked the ride--Danielle, if Kurt remembers correctly--and she’d handed him a couple of slips of paper. He’d smiled and thanked her and told her she was still his favorite cast member, and Kurt mouthed along with her when she responded that everyone was his favorite cast member.

Apparently it’s some kind of running joke that Kurt doesn’t quite get.

Anyway, after stumbling out of the car and trying to get his bearings, not certain if he wants to puke or drop to his knees and kiss the ground, Blaine is grabbing him by the elbow and tugging him along, telling him Danielle gave them fast passes so they get to go  _ again. _

_ Oh, goodie _ .

By the fourth and final ride, Kurt is finally beginning to enjoy himself. He’s almost convinced his terror-filled subconscious that the track is fine, the rafters are not a few inches above him, and if he’s survived this ride three times, he should try to enjoy the fourth. The screams in the darkness still don’t help all that much, but other than that, he actually allows a smile a few times, mostly because the big kid in front of him, i.e. Blaine, is still having the time of his life.

“I love that ride so much,” Blaine is saying as they finally exit out of the building and back into the bright sunlight.

Kurt’s eyes actually hurt for the first few moments as they attempt to readjust. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Wait.” Blaine reaches out for Kurt’s shoulder. “You didn’t have fun?”

“Blaine, I think your definition of fun and my definition of fun are two entirely separate entities.”

Blaine grins and grabs him by the elbow. “Come on. I’ll show you some more of my definition of fun.”

 


	3. Part Three

They end up in Stitch’s Great Escape, and it’s a bit of a bittersweet experience for Kurt, because he spends the majority of it watching Blaine. _Lilo and Stitch_ had always been Blaine’s go-to movie when he was having a bad day. Those first few weeks at McKinley, Blaine had had a bit of trouble adjusting--it had not been as if everyone did not love him, they did--but Blaine himself allowed his own insecurities and concerns to override some of the good things that had happened. Kurt would show up at his place after school, and inevitably, Blaine would be curled up on his bed, watching _Lilo and Stitch_ , and Kurt would spoon up against him, holding him as they laughed and said the dialogue together. Watching him now, Kurt realizes Blaine still loves this movie, and maybe still views it when he needs cheering up.

The next ninety minutes or so are spent running the gamut of what Tomorrowland has to offer, including Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which Kurt just finds silly, and the Indy Speedway, where Kurt opts to have his own car as opposed to letting Blaine drive. Blaine pouts for the next twenty minutes after, when he gets stuck behind a slow driver, and Kurt is waiting for him at the end, checking his cuticles and tapping his foot impatiently.

After Tomorrowland, they make their way into Fantasyland, and Blaine speaks animatedly about the changes that have taken place since the area reopened in late 2012, and how popular the Swan Prince area has become. They ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and Blaine breaks out into “A Whole New World”, and Kurt kind of wants to fling himself off of the ride, but suddenly he’s singing along with him, and the other riders and bystanders break into applause when it ends. From there they end up on the Tea Cups, though Kurt protests the entire time, and warns Blaine that if he dares spin the tea cup, he’ll be forced to suffer the consequences.

Blaine spins them anyway, and Kurt gets a little angry, and it becomes a contest between them--both grabbing the wheel and spinning it as hard and fast as they can. Kurt is close to nausea by the end of it, and they both almost fall flat on their faces as they step out of the cup, but Blaine is laughing and pointing at him, and Kurt wonders if his face is near as green as Blaine’s is, and decides it must be. They share a large bottle of water beneath a shady tree, and giggle over their own stupidity.

Once certain they are not going to vomit their mornings’ breakfast, Blaine takes him over to the Swan Prince section, and the area itself is very pretty, like the movie come to life. They linger near the lake where Blaine points out the swan named Prince Ardwin, and his mate, Morgana, both swimming regally over the smooth surface of the water.

“Ardwin and I have become quite close,” Blaine tells him, sitting down on a pretty little bench in a picturesque setting complete with a willow tree and pink rose bushes. “Sometimes in the morning before the park opens, I’ll come out here and feed him and talk to him. The majority of the time he spends most of his attention eating as opposed to listening to me, but sometimes he sits down on the grass and cleans his feathers, and pretends to listen, I think.”

Blaine says this with humor, but Kurt cannot help but believe there’s something more behind it. While Blaine is obviously popular with the Disney crowd, he has yet to mention anyone specific that he’s close to; no one name has come up repeatedly. Kurt finds he’s not surprised by this. At Dalton, where Blaine was very much the big fish in a little pond, there was no one he really referred to as a good friend. The Warblers were his friends, but like Kurt, Blaine had not seemed to really have anyone in his life who was a best friend. No one who truly understood him.

This realization affects Kurt more than he thinks it should. He doesn’t want to care that Blaine may be lonely, even though he’s almost certain that’s the case. Blaine has always been fantastic at surrounding himself with people, but not so good at letting them in, letting them see the real Blaine on the inside. Kurt has always understood this because he is the exact same way.

As if reading his mind, Blaine is suddenly asking Kurt if there is someone special in his life now. Kurt stares at him a long moment, uncertain how to respond at first.

“Not currently, no,” he says after a moment. Kurt glances over to see Blaine watching him, as if waiting for more, and he never really thought he’d have this moment--discussing boyfriends with his ex. Not just any ex; after all, it’s the kind of question that comes up before you start dating someone. But Blaine was his first... well, _everything_ . The one he honestly believed would never be an ex, but an _always_.

Shifting slightly on the edge of the bench, Kurt continues, “I’ve had three... I guess, serious boyfriends. My sophomore year there was Nick--he was going to Parsons, and it all ended four months after the first date when he criticized my outfit. Then there was Mike. He was an IT major, with a mathematics minor. He was ridiculously smart, and ridiculously sweet,” Kurt says with a smile, growing more comfortable as he speaks. He hooks his fingers together and slips them over his crossed knee as he glances at Blaine.

“We were together for about a year and a half. I was... horrible to him, to be honest. I don’t blame him for leaving. We’re actually still friends on Facebook.” Kurt shrugs and looks back out at the lake where the two swans have paused in front of them. “I broke it off with Stephan about a month before I came out here. He wanted to try to make the long distance thing work, but I knew I’d be more focused on my career than trying to make a relationship work, so...”

He looks back over to find Blaine leaning his head on his hand against the back of the bench, listening intently. “And that concludes my rather unexciting romantic history. And you? Do you have a little Black Book of all the hearts you’ve broken?” He doesn’t mean it in a cruel way, even smiles teasingly as he says it, but Kurt realizes after the words come out that it can be construed as such.

Blaine seems all right with it, though. He smiles, and it’s as pretty a sight as ever, and his gaze drifts out toward the lake. “Niall,” Blaine begins quietly. “He was Irish. Came out to California in the hope that he’d make it big as an actor. We met spring semester of sophomore year.”

Kurt waits to hear the rest but Blaine isn’t very forthcoming. He leans over and bumps Blaine’s shoulder. “I don’t get more names?”

“Hmm? Oh. No. I mean.” Blaine pauses, and his cheeks seem to color slightly. “Niall and I broke up shortly after our third anniversary. I still feel really bad because he followed me out here. I don’t... I think he went back to LA, but I don’t know. He asked me not to keep in touch.”

Three years. _Three_ . Kurt doesn’t know why that number hurts, but it does. It expands in his chest and aches until each breath is painful, because he didn’t get to have that with Blaine and _he was supposed to have that_ . _They_ were supposed to have that. The way Blaine spoke, they had obviously lived together. Loved one another. Niall likely knew that Blaine kicked the covers off of his feet in bed at night, and liked his coffee with far too much sugar, and ate his fries with mayonnaise, and sometimes had nightmares about things that had happened to him that left him terrified and trembling in the dark. All things that Kurt had learned even before they had begun dating, during that time when Kurt had been certain he’d never find a better friend to call his own than Blaine. And Niall probably knew these things far, far more intimately than Kurt ever had the chance to do.

“I’m hungry,” Blaine says suddenly, getting to his feet as he slides his hands into his pockets. “Come on. I know a great little cafe with this fabulous singer--Sonny Eclipse. I think you’ll like it.”

Kurt wants to ask what happened. He wants to know why Blaine and Niall broke up, but it’s obvious from Blaine’s sudden chipper attitude that the subject has been dropped.

As he gets to his feet, Kurt tells himself it isn’t any of his business, but he’s never really listened to himself much in the past. Why should he start now?  


***********************************************************  


Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe is not what Kurt would call a cafe by any definition of the word. It’s one of many cafeteria-like dining areas set up around the Disney property, where one can easily take a family of five, filled with picky eaters, and they can all find something to eat. He and Blaine are currently surrounded by families of five, or more, and Kurt finds himself wondering at what point do people look at the overpopulated world around them and think, maybe I should stop having kids now? He feels something semi-pointed press into the back of his thigh and turns to glare down at the boy who seems to think its fun to try to saw off his leg with a plastic pirate sword. The boy’s parents are oblivious, pouring over a map of the park deciding what to do after lunch, so Kurt makes a horrible face at the kid until he scrambles away to hide behind his father.

Beside him, Blaine is giggling softly. “You must practice faces like that on the brides you work with.”

“This is precisely why I plan weddings and not children’s parties.” He pulls a face as the entire throng of people waiting suddenly presses together to let a family of four out the entrance door. “Why are we here again? Certainly there’s a nice, quiet, clean sit down restaurant to enjoy. One with clientele of slightly more...discerning taste.”

Blaine laughs and nudges him with his shoulder. “Believe it or not, I think I’ve missed you, Kurt Hummel.”

“You’re not answering the question,” Kurt says, letting his comment go.

“Because I’m saving Tony’s Town Square for tonight. Oh! There’s an opening in that line to your right. Quick--grab it!”

Blaine swears this place serves the best cheese steak sandwich on the property, aside from the one at the Coronado Springs resort. Kurt is not about to eat a cheese steak sandwich, but he does finally settle for a grilled chicken Caesar salad and large iced tea.

“Cafeteria trays. How quaintly pedestrian,” Kurt says dryly as he lifts his and follows Blaine to yet another line to wait for seating. “I feel like I’m back in high school.”

“See? Four hours at Magic Kingdom, and you already feel like a kid again!”

Kurt rolls his eyes at Blaine’s teasing before following him through the line and into the dining room.

“Oh! Looks like there’s a table on the floor right above Sonny!” Blaine exclaims, excusing his way through a family arguing over whether or not to remove their plates from their trays to make more room on the table.

Kurt forces a smile as he moves through them, lifting his tray over his head as a child of no more than five rams into his legs and then darts around him in order to claim a cookie her grandmother is holding. Sighing as he wonders for the eightieth time what he’s doing in this public hellhole during the lunch rush, Kurt finally spies Blaine beside a table for two, talking to one of the cast members as she wipes off the surface.

As Kurt approaches, his eyes are drawn toward the stage set toward the very front of the restaurant. He slows his walk, stopping just near the table, mouth hanging open slightly, and tray wavering precariously in his grip.

“Sonny Eclipse is a puppet?!”

Blaine’s looking at him as if it’s somehow Kurt, and not Blaine, who has lost his mind. “Animatronic, but yeah. What did you expect, Kurt? It _is_ Disney, you know.”

“Let me get this straight.” Kurt sets his tray down on the newly wiped table and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Your idea of a great little cafe is a cheap, limited choice--yet ridiculously busy--cafeteria, with a lounge singing animatronic alien _puppet_ as the main form of entertainment?”

“Sounds pretty great to me,” the cast member, whose name badge reads Audrey, remarks with a smirk.

“Thank you, Audrey,” Blaine says with a grin before turning back to Kurt as if to say ‘See?’.

Kurt looks down at Audrey, pursing his lips. “Please don’t encourage him. It’s like feeding the animals at the zoo. It’s both unacceptable and dangerous.”

Audrey laughs, patting Blaine’s arm as she moves past him. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full there, Mouseketeer.”

“Did—did she just refer to me as if I wasn’t even here?” Kurt sputters waving his hand after the employee as she wanders off.

“Sit down and eat your lunch.”

“I don’t think I can stomach it.”

“And we were having such a good day.”

“Well I guess that all depends on your definition of “good”,” Kurt grumbles, looking around for video cameras to see if this isn’t just all some elaborate joke.

Blaine sighs and picks up a French fry, dipping it into the large side of mayonnaise he has before eating it. “Are you going to sit down or stomp out of here in full Rachel Berry style? Either way, I’m going to eat my lunch.”

Muttering to himself about how he hopes the inventor of amusement parks is right now burning somewhere in Hell, Kurt drops into the seat across from Blaine and picks up his fork.

“I can’t believe you still eat your fries that way,” he comments after a moment as Sonny launches into something that sounds like a ‘50’s doo-wop number, but the lyrics aren’t quite right. He’s singing about space angels. “You do realize you’re getting a little old to be eating like that, right?”

Blaine gives him a look, and proceeds to once more gather far too much mayonnaise on his fry before shoving it into his mouth. “I’m twenty-four. I’ve got a good six years of eating like this before I need to start worrying about diet and exercise.” As if proving his point, he grabs his knife and begins liberally spreading the mayonnaise over his cheese steak. “So since I mentioned her, how’s Rachel doing anyway?”

“Good,” Kurt replies, taking a bite of his salad. “She’s had a few off-Broadway roles, starred in two of them. She emailed two weeks ago to say she just got signed with an agent, so I’m sure it won’t be too long before we see her name in lights.”

“Never doubted it for a moment,” Blaine said with a smile, licking some cheese from his lips. “Do you keep in contact with anyone else from McKinley?”

“Mercedes on occasion, mostly through Facebook.” Kurt shrugs. “She’s in Chicago trying to get her singing career going. And Finn, of course. He and Quinn are married, you know.”

Blaine sets his sandwich down and blinks over at Kurt. “Wow. Didn’t see that one coming.”

Kurt tilts his head to the side and purses his lips. “I kind of did. I mean, after he decided not to go to New York with Rachel and I, and things went all sour between them... I don’t know. I realized there was a part of him that wasn’t really looking to leave Lima anymore.” He plays with a piece of chicken with his fork before picking it up. “He works with my dad now at the garage. Quinn’s pregnant with their first kid. She has an education degree and has just started teaching Kindergarten.”

“Teaching. Hmm. Seems kind of fitting for her, actually.” Blaine picks his sandwich back up. “How’s your dad?”

“He’s doing okay. Carole has forced him to start working less at the shop, so it’s good that Finn is there.”

“Has he had any more problems with his heart or--”

“No.” Kurt shakes his head. “Just prescribed caution from his doctor.” Setting his fork down, Kurt takes a sip of his tea. “What about you? Any one of the old gang you still talk to?”

“Santana, mostly.” Blaine doesn’t look up when he says this, so he misses the look of surprise from Kurt. “Did you know she ended up in LA after that stint at OSU?” Blaine does look over then, and Kurt shakes his head. “Yeah, so she ended up in the music program alongside me at UCLA. She’s still out there, doing a lot of background vocal work. She has a girlfriend, Abbie. Absolute stunner. Just got a contract with Victoria’s Secret. When they walk down the street together, they cause traffic accidents, I swear.”

Finishing off the first half of his sandwich, Blaine returns his attention to his fries. “Mike’s with Alvin Ailey, did you know that? They’re currently touring in Russia. And Tina is with him, doing costume design for the troupe.”

Kurt finds himself smiling at that, but what he feels is bittersweet. “Well, one of the couples from McKinley made it, I guess.”

“Mmmm.” Blaine grows silent for a moment, watching Kurt with a look that’s a little too assessing. Finally, he begins, “I’m curious, and I don’t mean this to sound insulting or whatever, it’s just... why aren’t you on Broadway with Rachel, Kurt? Or at least still in New York.”

Kurt has been waiting for that question. He sighs and glances out at Sonny Eclipse for a moment as the giant alien is talking about performing at weddings and night clubs around the galaxy. “I had every intention when we first arrived of beating Rachel to Broadway. But little by little I just... I don’t know. I woke up one day and realized I didn’t want to sing anymore. So then I decided to try my hand at fashion.” Kurt smirks slightly and looks back at Blaine. “That lasted about a year. If I were a different person, I might have been okay. But I realized the majority of people I was working with were even nastier than I was. They’d do anything short of killing you--and believe me, I sometimes took the jokes of dipping straight pins in poison seriously--to get their designs noticed over yours.”

Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he picks up his fork and plays with the salad in his bowl. “The summer between sophomore and junior year, when I was truly beginning to wonder if I would ever know what I wanted to do with my life, I was out with my friend and her mother while they shopped for her wedding. I made a few suggestions, and next thing I knew, I was planning it completely. That wedding led to others, and soon I was making money while doing it in college. Then one day, Cheryl Fielding-LoPalo, of Cheryl J. Weddings, calls me up and offers me a job. So I took that right out of college until this spring when Disney Weddings called me up and asked me to apply. Here I am.”

“I never would have imagined you anywhere but New York.”

“Me neither.” Kurt smiles sadly. “But it just... Watching my dreams dissolve around me got to be a little much, I guess. It lost its luster.”

Across from him, Blaine is silent, his look contemplative as he gazes at Kurt. Kurt wants to ask him how he ended up where he is as well--Blaine had as much reason to end up with his name in lights as either Kurt or Rachel--but the moment is broken when Blaine suddenly jumps to his feet.

“Oh! Yew Nork! Yew Nork! My favorite!” He exclaims as Sonny Eclipse launches into something that is apparently supposed to be “New York! New York!” but is not quite right. “Be right back!”

Kurt can’t even get a word out as Blaine is suddenly bounding away from their table and actually bursting into song, loudly. He leaps onto the tier between the first and second levels, hanging on to the railing that splits them, gesturing wildly and putting on a show that would make Frank Sinatra beam with approval. Kurt can only gape in astonishment as the diners around them get into it, clapping and singing along, little kids doing something that Kurt supposes is dancing beside their tables. Even the cast members have stepped into the dining room, cheering and singing along with the song.

As he’s looking around, he notices the cast member from earlier, Audrey, standing nearby, smiling as she calls out encouragement at Blaine. Kurt waves her over, asking above the din, “Does he do this often?”

Audrey laughs and rolls her eyes playfully. “At least once a week. We actually get customers in here asking specifically to see Mouse perform.”

Kurt wants to be surprised, but he’s not. As Blaine bounces back over to him after the song, flushed and slightly out of breath, more hairs curling around his temples, Kurt finds he can only return his smile and shake his head in wonder.

It’s not until a few hours later that Kurt realizes Blaine had completely distracted him from the discussion about New York, by singing a very bad song about Yew Nork.  


***********************************************************  


The rest of the afternoon and early evening are spent making certain they miss nothing the Magic Kingdom has to offer. Blaine sings along with the children in “It’s a Small World” until Kurt vows to kill the next person he ever hears uttering those words. In the Haunted Mansion, they sit together in their private car, shoulders and thighs pressed close as they marvel at the special effects used to create the very realistic ghostly images. They giggle at the ghost sitting between them toward the end of the ride, and argue over whose ex it was. They get soaked on Splash Mountain, and dry off on a leisurely cruise on the riverboat where they talk about inconsequential things like current favorite music and the latest issue of _Vogue_.

Pirates of the Caribbean is spent discussing the hotness that is Johnny Depp, even at 55, and how he’s one older man that neither of them would never say no. The ride breaks halfway through, and Blaine ends up striking up a conversation with the family from Germany sitting in front of them. He somehow draws Kurt into the conversation, and by the time the ride is moving once more, they’re having quite a passionate discussion about the travesty that is American beer. At the Enchanted Tiki Room, Kurt ends up joining in with Blaine, singing along with the colorful birds, and laughing over how ridiculously charming they both find the birds to be.

By the time they have circled the entire park, ending up back on Main Street, sitting comfortably in Tony’s Town Square restaurant, Kurt is exhausted, but surprisingly happy. He honestly hadn’t expected to enjoy himself as much that day as he has, and he expresses as much to Blaine, who is taking a bite of his goat cheese gnocchi.

“I told you that you were missing out,” Blaine says with a shrug of his shoulders. “The magic of Disney, and all of that.”

“It’s more than that, though. I mean,” and he doesn’t want to say anything that may give Blaine the wrong impression, but he continues anyway, “spending time with you today. It’s been fun. I can’t remember the last time I just... laughed so much. Or sang.”

Blaine pauses with fork in hand, but doesn’t look up. His shoulders seem to lift just a bit before he says, “Well, we were friends once, Kurt. Before anything else.”

“No, I know.” Kurt worries his lower lip a moment, something he normally hates doing, but barely recognizes he’s doing it at the moment. He takes a small bite of his seafood diavolo. “It’s just... I guess I hadn’t expected this,” he waves his fork between the two of them, “to be so easy.”

Blaine doesn’t say anything more and Kurt considers the matter dropped. They share a slice of lemon walnut layer cake, and argue over who is paying the bill before Blaine convinces Manny, their server and yet another cast member who knows Blaine as Mouse, to ignore Kurt completely and take his card instead. Kurt grumbles a little, thanks him for being so kind, and then points out once more how this is _not_ a date.

Blaine just laughs.

They find an excellent spot for the fireworks display on a bench just behind the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey, and as they wait for the show to begin, they talk some more about the little things that don’t really matter, but seem to matter a whole lot. Blaine’s degree is in Music Performance, but he has no idea what he wants to do when he’s too old to play a prince any longer. Kurt can swear he hears a wistfulness for Broadway in Blaine’s voice, but the subject is a delicate one for them, and they both let it drop. Kurt had eventually finished a degree in Design in Stage and Film with a focus in costuming, figuring he could use those skills in creating a dramatic flare in the weddings he plans. They argue over Kate and Leo’s latest film--Kurt thinks it’s brilliant; Blaine thinks it’s pretentious, artistic bullshit--and laugh about the Britney Spears’ biographical musical that bombed on Broadway.

It’s while they’re sitting their together, waiting for the fireworks to begin as Mickey steps out on stage and welcomes the crowd that Kurt finds himself wanting to make this ‘whatever’ it is between them better again. He knows he’ll never love Blaine again; he can’t. To do so would mean opening himself up once more to a vulnerability he swore he’d never again experience. Kurt doesn’t think he can handle being that close to someone again, especially when that someone is Blaine, who has somehow always known Kurt better than even Kurt has known himself. There’s a reason today has felt so special, and Kurt wants to keep that. He wants to be friends with Blaine again, and he knows that in order to get there, they are both going to have to let go of the past.

“I owe you an apology,” he says softly as the music begins and the first rockets light up the sky above.

Blaine glances up with that half-confused, slightly concerned expression that’s always had the ability to cause Kurt to melt inside a little bit. Santana once referred to it as his ‘puppy face’, and while Kurt has always considered Blaine far more attractive than a puppy, he can see the resemblance.

Looking away from the inquiring gaze, Kurt wraps his arms around himself and continues, “All of these years I’ve spent blaming you. And all this time I’ve known, deep down, it wasn’t your fault. I’m the one who ended us. I let my… stupid insecurities I’d been harboring for so long get in the way of actually listening. I sabotaged myself by actually believing my worst fears had come true.”

Blaine shakes his head a little, brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. What insecurities could have possibly caused you to accuse me of lying to you?” He looks hurt now, and a little bit angry. Kurt can’t really blame him. This is probably the wrong time to bring this up. They’d been having such a good day, too.

“I just…” Kurt hugs himself a bit tighter and drops his gaze to his feet. “I loved you so much, Blaine. And I was so afraid of losing you. I couldn’t… it was difficult for me to believe that you were mine; that you loved me the same way I loved you. And every single day I was so grateful. And every single day I was so terrified. I kept waiting for it to end. And when I saw those letters—“

“You naturally assumed I’d planned to end it all along.”

It sounds horrible when put like that. Kurt shrugs slightly, still unable to meet Blaine’s gaze.

“I wish you’d talked to me about this. I wish you’d just once shared how scared you were, and then maybe—“

“Hindsight,” Kurt interrupts, finally glancing over at Blaine, and he wishes he hadn’t because the expression is one of so much hurt and disappointment, two emotions Kurt has never enjoyed seeing on Blaine’s face.

More fireworks light up the sky, coloring Blaine’s face and reflecting in his eyes. Kurt reaches out and touches Blaine’s hand. “I’m telling you this because I think we both need to finally move past it. I need to stop lying to myself about what happened, and you need to know that I’m sorry, and it was never you. It’s not that you didn’t make mistakes--I honestly believe you should have told me the moment you knew you were going to apply to those other schools--”

Blaine looks away from him.

“--and maybe so much would have been avoided. Or maybe not. Who knows?” Kurt shrugs just a little, hanging onto Blaine’s hand a moment longer before letting go. “I’d begun picking out china patterns for us, Blaine. It was too much too fast, and I’m not certain either of us were truly ready for it, no matter how much we loved each other.”

Blaine doesn’t say anything, and for the next few minutes, Kurt worries that maybe he shouldn’t have brought it up at all. The fireworks continue, and he looks up into the sky, trying to focus on how surprisingly great the day has been, and the beauty above, but everything aches a little too much.

When Blaine does finally begin to speak, Kurt almost misses it; his voice is soft, and he doesn’t look away from the sky. “It was my parents, you know. The only way I could convince them to let me go to New York was to agree to apply elsewhere and actually consider my choices. So I went through and picked the programs that most interested me.” He pauses as he smiles up at the display that shimmers in orange and gold and green and blue above the castle. “When New York... “ He trails off. “Well, I chose UCLA because of their program. And Disneyland. I thought I could work there over the summers.”

Kurt thinks there is more. “It was the furthest away from New York.”

Blaine finally pulls his gaze away from the fireworks to look at Kurt. “And there’s that.”

When the show ends, they walk toward the gate together quietly. Kurt remembers beginning the day with dread, how he had considered not even coming, and now he kind of doesn’t to end. He figures a lot of that is because he’s been kind of lonely since he arrived in Orlando, and maybe there’s a part of him that remembers how much better Blaine has always made his loneliness.

“Taking the ferry?” Kurt asks as they exit the park.

“Monorail,” Blaine says, nodding toward the track. “Meeting a friend who works at the Floridian for drinks.”

Kurt smiles, trying to hide the fact that he’s wondering if this friend is the romantic kind. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow? Burning the candle at both ends?”

“I work the later shift tomorrow, so I have time.”

“Well.” They pause between the paths leading to the ferry and the monorail. “Thank you for today, Blaine. I can honestly say I probably won’t need to come back here for a good year or so.”

Blaine laughs. “Oh, come on. You loved every moment and you know it. A few more times, and you’ll be as obsessed as me.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“See you again soon?” Blaine’s taking a few steps away, smiling at him softly.

Kurt just nods, watching for a moment until Blaine disappears from view, and ignoring that he already misses him just a bit.


	4. Part Four

The next week is a bit unlike any of the previous weeks since Kurt arrived in Orlando. He doesn’t just get up in the morning, go to work, have lunch with coworkers, go home, occasionally call his family to say hello, and then start the cycle all over again the following day. He receives texts from Blaine daily; random little things like  _ A little girl just threw up on my shoes--ah, the life of a Disney prince! _ or  _ Did you see what they have Dakota wearing on the cover of Cosmo? What were they thinking? _ or  _ I totally saw you with a future bride and her parents this morning. Was her mother as much of a bitch as she looked?? _ to which Kurt had simply responded  _ Yes _ . They meet up for lunch twice; once at Panera and the other time at McDonald’s on property, which Kurt had complained about but only agreed to because Blaine had thirty minutes exactly, and he just really needed to bitch about Ginny, who was his Princess Morgana that evening, and he had to complain to someone so he didn’t just strangle her on sight. Kurt had listened sympathetically as he ate his McDonald’s salad, and then told Blaine as they were leaving that he owed him, big time.

On Thursday night, the same group of cast members ended up at Rising Star again, only this time when Kurt and Blaine sang together, they performed  _ Love Shack _ , and they had a blast doing it. Kurt applauded enthusiastically along with everyone else when Blaine sang  _ Do It Again _ by the Beach Boys and Blaine could be seen doing the same for Kurt when he sang  _ Hey Jude _ . They ended up sitting beside each other later in the evening, and regaled the group with tales of their time together at both Dalton and McKinley--sharing stories of the Warblers and New Directions that had their coworkers doubled over in laughter.

Kurt didn’t realize how much he missed this until now that he has it back. It’s not just having a good friend to whine to throughout the day via text when he needs it, or to occasionally grab lunch with and catch up on their time spent apart and know, without question, it’s that there is someone nearby who cares if you need them. Kurt had that with Rachel in New York, and he still had the sense of missing something, of being alone even when sitting in a classroom of like-minded artistic individuals. As much as he hates admitting it, the point is that Blaine is back in his life, and just like he had done all of those years ago when Kurt had first stood above him on those stairs at Dalton, Blaine has taken his hand and eradicated the loneliness Kurt has been feeling.

Feeling for the last six years, if Kurt is perfectly honest.

The fact of the matter is, even back when Kurt had been pining for Blaine as a boyfriend, their friendship had been the world to him, and he had never planned to give that up, no matter what changed. And then he had been forced--by admittedly his own stupidity and stubbornness--to go without it, and no wonder he’d been so lonely the last six years. No wonder some stresses had been too much to handle, and even his relationships hadn’t been as fulfilling as necessary  _ because his best friend hadn’t been there to talk to him _ .

So Orlando seems a bit more manageable now, even welcoming. Even if Janelle has twice asked him if there might not be a little more going on between him and Blaine than just friendship, and every day at the pavilion starts out with Todd asking Kurt if he’s gotten laid recently. He doesn’t expect them to understand what simply having the other as a part of their lives has meant to him and Blaine from the moment they met; no one has ever understood that. Apparently not even Kurt and Blaine.

Kurt has also been taking the time to get to know Disney better since the admittedly fun day he had with Blaine at Magic Kingdom. He spent an afternoon with Janelle at Hollywood Studios, and a morning on his own seeing some of the Animal Kingdom. After two small weddings on Saturday, Kurt decides to spend the evening at Epcot, at first sampling some of the sweet wine in Germany before sitting outside the Rose and Crown Pub in England and sipping at some sweet English cider. He considered pulling out his e-reader but found himself people watching instead.

“The first rule of thumb is you should never drink alone.”

Kurt smiles even before he glances up to find Blaine sitting down in the chair across from him and setting a plate of fish and chips, and a yard of beer on the table. Kurt’s eyes widen slightly at the beverage, and he raises an eyebrow in question. “I think the same could be said of you.”

Blaine shakes his head and smiles. “Nah. I saw you on my way into the pub.”

“And you didn’t bother texting to ask if I wanted anything to eat?” Kurt asks as he reaches out to steal a fry.

“Probably because I knew you’d do that.”

Kurt smiles and shrugs and steals another. There’s no mayo this time, just a heaping dose of vinegar that Kurt is perfectly okay with. “How’s the fish?”

“Best I’ve ever had.” Blaine breaks off a piece and holds it out to Kurt, who takes it. “How has your day been?”

Between nibbling on his piece of fried white fish, Kurt tells Blaine about the two small weddings, one of which had been his and consisted of exactly ten people, including bridal party and guests, and the other wedding, which had actually been Aiden’s but Kurt had assisted, and that included four guests--bride, groom and witnesses. When he was finished, Blaine mentioned that he had worked the early shift for the day, and Ariel and Cinderella had ended up in an argument backstage that resulted in one torn costume and one now jobless Cinderella. At Kurt’s sound of concern, Blaine shrugs and tells him, “Wendy was a bitch, anyway.”

Kurt continues to listen as Blaine tells him more about the relationship behind the scenes of Disney royalty. They share the plate of fish and chips, and Kurt orders another cider as Blaine slowly makes his way through his yard of beer. The sun is just low enough in the sky to cast colors of gold and red and orange across Blaine’s skin, his eyes reflecting warm amber.

Kurt realizes he’s staring, and then realizes he’s been caught when Blaine trails off from his current story about the torrid love affair between Princess Tiana and Prince Eric last year that had ended in pregnancy and both actors leaving to get married and start a family. Blaine doesn’t say anything, though, just offers Kurt a slight smile as he gets up and says he’ll be right back before disappearing into the pub. Kurt takes the opportunity to stare at Blaine blatantly as he walks away--the snug hairline stripe red polo that Kurt is fairly certain is a Vivienne Westwood, the perfectly fitted white skinnies and deep red wingtips. No doubt about it, his ex still has impeccable style.

Dammit. His sudden occupation with ogling his ex has to be the alcohol talking. Kurt resolves in that moment not to have anymore after the cider, and he quickly finishes that off just as Blaine returns, a drink in each hand.

“Have you ever had either of these?” Blaine asks, setting them on the table, a green colored concoction on the left, and the one on the right a swirl of muted pastels. “This is a Welsh Dragon, and this is a Leaping Leprechaun.”

“I thought you were the leaping leprechaun,” Kurt comments, reaching out for the Welsh Dragon as he ignores for the moment the promise he has just made to himself.

“Oh, ha ha.” Blaine grins as he picks up the leprechaun drink. “I think you’ll like that one, actually. This has rum, vodka and whiskey--that one’s just a bunch of fruity liqueurs.”

Kurt cannot even begin to let that go. “Did you just call me fruity?”

“Only in the sense of how sweet you are,” Blaine replies innocently as he clinks their glasses together. “To renewed friendships.”

“Best friendships,” Kurt corrects, and  _ god _ he’s a light weight if he actually let himself say that much. To hide the embarrassment he’s feeling, he takes a big swallow of the Welsh Dragon, and okay, that’s really good. “I’m not having anything more after this,” he says as he sets his glass down, only to pick it back up thirty seconds later for another drink.

It’s almost as if by silent mutual agreement that they choose to spend the evening together. They finish off the Welsh Dragon and Leaping Leprechaun at the Rose and Crown, and make their way across the bridge into France where they stop at the Boulangerie Patisserie and buy some buttery pastries to share. They sit beside the Eiffel Tower, and Kurt cannot help but make a sarcastic comment as to how the landmark is far smaller than he ever imagined it to be, though he figures it is just the right size for Blaine. His friend throws an empty pastry wrapper at him, and Kurt complains about crumbs on his Paul Smith jacket as Blaine suddenly bounds to his feet to go get his picture taken with Marie from _ The Aristocats _ . Kurt follows after a moment, holding a hand over his mouth to contain his giggling as Blaine wraps the giant white kitten in a bear hug and declares her his favorite of all the Disney characters. He is not the least bit surprised when Blaine breaks out into  _ Scales and Arpeggios _ as he makes his way back to Kurt, taking his arm and hooking it over his own.

“ _ Every truly cultured music student knows, you must learn your scales and your arpeggios! Bring the music ringing from your chest and not your nose! _ ”

Kurt laughs and shakes his head, even as he joins him on, “ _ While you sing your scales and your arpeggios! _ ”

No, he really is  _ not _ allowed to have anything more to drink.

In Morocco, Blaine leads him through a series of souvenir shops, and Kurt actually finds a scarf he loves and ends up purchasing, and when Blaine teases him for wearing something without a designer label, he says it’s an early birthday gift for Carole. They pass by the Restaurant Marrakesh, both wrinkling their noses at the scent of food because the pastries have hit their stomachs a little hard, and Kurt has to grab Blaine and drag him away when the belly dancers appear and he is quite ready to join in.

“You’re a lot of things, Blaine,” he tells him. “But a belly dancer is not one of them.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done in the last six years,” Blaine argues, pulling away from him to attempt to shake his torso, only it comes out as more of a bad imitation of a child playing with a Hoola Hoop.

They stop in Japan because Kurt wants tea, but instead ends up splitting a bottle of hot Saki with Blaine that turns into two bottles, plus a sushi sampler of tuna, yellowtail and shrimp. Kurt swears he’s going to vomit before the night is over, and he hates vomiting and Blaine says if Magic Kingdom had not closed at seven that night, they could have ridden the tea cups. When Kurt goes to swing at him to punch him in the arm, Blaine sidesteps the attempt, laughing at him.

By the time they reach Germany, Epcot’s Illuminations is about to begin, and while Blaine and Kurt can agree on the fact that it’s not only one of Disney’s ugliest shows, it’s also the most boring. Still, they take a seat at a tiny table alongside the railing, and Blaine excuses himself for a moment, only to return with a tray containing one beer flight and one wine flight from Biergarten.

Kurt glances up at him in dismay. “You’re trying to get me drunk, aren’t you?”

“Actually, I think I succeeded at that about two hours ago,” Blaine remarks, handing Kurt a tiny glass of wine as he sits down. “We can be drunk together!  _ Salut _ !”

“That’s Italian. Italy came after America, Blaine.”

“Oh, well. Lederhosen!” Blaine holds up his small glass of beer and chugs it back.

Kurt giggles far longer than he would have had he not been drinking his way around the world with his ex.

It’s not as if Kurt is too drunk to realize every moment of this evening is a bad idea, every sip of every drink he takes is yet another bad idea. He knows it even as Blaine begins telling him about his friend, Ida, who works in the Biergarten, and gave them these flights with a wink, and Kurt cannot seem to focus on anything but the way Blaine’s eyes crinkle when he smiles--they’ve always done that, shown so much expression in everything that Blaine does, be it smiling or singing. There’s a hint of stubble along his jaw from the lateness of the day, and Kurt leans on his hand, tucking a leg beneath him on the seat, and he just lets himself look, lets himself notice how the hairs are heavier and darker than they used to be. He stares at his throat, where the stubble trails down, and his Adam’s apple as it moves as he speaks or takes another drink of the five beers before him, and Kurt remembers sucking on it when they were together--just because he could, just because Blaine was his and wanted to be kissed and touched by him, and Kurt had spent countless hours marking him in ways he had only ever imagined being allowed to do.

_ Oh god. What am I doing to myself _ ?

Kurt ignores Blaine calling out to him questioningly as he stumbles out of his seat and moves over the railing, gripping it hard, needing to do anything to stop looking at Blaine. Missing Blaine. Wanting Blaine. It’s the alcohol talking, he knows and  _ god _ , this is such a bad idea, drinking with his ex.

It becomes an even worse idea when he feels strong hands on his shoulders, turning him, and then Blaine’s mouth is covering his, and yeah, it feels just like he remembers, and even though the beer is a different flavor, the hint of Blaine beneath it remains the same. Kurt wants so badly to give in to this and just lose himself in his ex the way he used to, but he knows it’s something he cannot do. They are not in love anymore, and the realization of that would hurt worse than the separation when they had loved one another.

“Don’t.” Kurt pushes Blaine back, not roughly, but just enough to make him stop. “Please, don’t. We can’t. You know we can’t. Just--I need you in my life, Blaine, and we can’t do anything to ruin that when--”

“I still love you.”

Whatever it was Kurt had meant to say is gone. He stumbles over sounds that may have been words as he turns to look at Blaine, who’s standing there in front of him, looking up at him from beneath those stupid long lashes of his. There are at once too many and not enough responses Kurt can give him in that moment, and in the end, he’s left with simply standing there, silent, probably resembling some ridiculous gaping fish. Kurt’s fingers grip the railing a little too hard, and he looks away, out at the giant lit up globe of the world sitting on the water, fires burning brightly all around them.

When Kurt finally does find words, there isn’t much strength behind them. “You don’t even know me anymore.” What else is he supposed to say? The love of his life just admitted to still loving him.

“Oh?” Blaine’s tone is filled with something Kurt can only describe as amused disbelief. “I know that you still order your dressing on the side with your grilled chicken salads. You probably still wake up at precisely two am every night to double check your alarm and make certain it’s still set to go off at the right time. I bet you still set out your moisturizer bottles in a precise order before each regime, before putting them away in exactly the opposite order so you can keep track if anyone has used them, even if you live alone.”

Blaine is leaning toward him now, and Kurt tries his hardest to avoid his gaze. “You used to meet people and promptly forget their names but always remember their numbers – has that changed? Do you no longer watch scary movies through your fingers, insisting that you can indeed handle them when, in fact, you can’t? Are you no longer terrified of bees? Do you sleep with your feet tucked beneath the covers now, instead of on top?”

“Stop,” Kurt says quietly, flashing him a quick frown. “You’ve made your point, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

 

“Blaine.” He turns back to him, and reaches out, laying his hand over Blaine’s chest. “I’m so happy to have you back in my life, you don’t even realize. But we can’t do this. I won’t let us do this. Maybe you do still know me. Maybe I still know you. But it’s been six years, and we broke each other’s hearts, Blaine, and I can’t... I don’t  _ love _ you.”

Blaine frowns and glances away with his words. Kurt knows he’s hurt him, but it had to be said so that there are no misconceptions between them. Besides, what does Blaine honestly expect? You don’t go six years without speaking to one another and then suddenly blurt out  _ I love you _ . The real world just doesn’t work like that.

“We were having such a good time,” Kurt says softly, reaching out to cup Blaine’s cheek and bring his gaze back to him. And if his hand lingers there a little too long it’s only because he wants Blaine to know he’s not upset. “Can we just get back that? And maybe, not have anything more to drink tonight. As I recall, alcohol and the two of us seem to have a history of making bad decisions.”

Kurt was not just referring to Rachel’s party before they had gotten together and Blaine ended up with a crisis of sexual identity. No, there had been Brittany’s party their senior year where Puck had been taunting them all night as to who was the girl in the relationship, and they had made the drunken decision to show their friends exactly how sexual relations worked between them just to shut them all up. In their defense, they’d all been rather drunk, and luckily not many of them could remember full details of what went on, but there had been plenty of clues to indicate just what they’d done. Well, and Lauren who spent the next month commenting every time she passed them in the hall that she knew girls who would pay a pretty penny to get to see that performance in person.

Alcohol plus Blaine and Kurt. Always a bad thing.

Just like tonight.

“I’m sorry,” Blaine says quietly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Somewhere in this distance, Kurt can swear he hears thunder rumble.

“No apologies.”

Kurt takes Blaine’s hand and tugs him back over to the table before turning and looking out at the Illuminations globe. The show is coming to an end. Most of the park’s visitors have already began breaking away, wandering back into restaurants to grab another drink. Something that they are definitely not going to do. In fact, Kurt suggests they both grab some bottled water and begin hydrating themselves so they do not wake up feeling miserable in the morning. Blaine says little but seems to agree so they wander over to one of the carts and each buy a bottle of water as the lights come back up around the park, signaling the end of the worst show on earth.

At least in Kurt’s opinion.

It’s obvious that Blaine is far more subdued than he had been, and Kurt tries to put things at ease between them by commenting on the showcase around them. He leads them into gift shops, and makes silly remarks about decorating his condo in Norwegian chic, and by the time Blaine begins pointing out Hidden Mickey’s to him around the showcase, Kurt realizes things are all right between them again.

They make their way into Future World because some of the bigger attractions are still open, and they go on the Test Track three times because Kurt insists. It turns out to be the first ride at Disney he has found that he can really and truly appreciate, and he starts telling Blaine that he has to get his dad out here some time--Burt Hummel would like this ride if no other. The best part of the ride is when they get out onto the open track at 60mph, and Kurt has to believe that it being dark out makes it all that much more exciting. Sixty miles per hour in an open vehicle with very little around you in the way of protection is a far different experience from inside a car. He finds he doesn’t even care that his hair is getting windblown.

After the Test Track, they go on Finding Nemo, and wander through the Living Seas, grabbing some more bottled water, and Kurt tells Blaine all about the amount of weddings they hold there. If the bride chooses, she can even pay to have a Mickey in a diving suit enter the aquarium to feed the fish and entertain the guests. It’s two grand for about ten minutes of entertainment but it still surprises him how many brides apparently opt to do it.

As they cross over to The Land to ride Soaring, and Kurt glances up in dismay as he hears another rumble of thunder. The problem is that he is not particularly dressed for rain. Between his linen jacket and the light tan Fendi trousers, rain could irreparably ruin his clothing. He refuses to think of what stepping into a puddle would do to his two-toned Fluevog Duncans.

“I hope the storm passes,” he comments as they step inside the building.

Blaine shrugs. “It’s Florida. Even if it doesn’t, it won’t last more than five minutes. We’ll be fine.”

The storm hits while they’re wandering through a shop in Millennium Central. Park visitors are rushing in through the doors, thoroughly soaked and laughing, and Kurt glances over at Blaine, who is far too busy trying on a Goofy hat to notice him. Sighing, Kurt makes his way over to the shop window to look outside, watching as lightning streaks across the sky above and more thunder echoes around the park, causing the windows to shudder slightly.

Ten minutes later, Kurt glances at his watch with a frown. The rain has not let up; if anything, it’s coming down harder than before. Around him, other patrons have shopped themselves out and are meekly making their way back outside to continue to enjoy their evening, even if doing so soaking wet. Many are wearing hideous Disney ponchos, which admittedly appear to be keeping their upper halves dry, but shoes and legs are soaked, and that is ignoring the flagrant fashion faux pas of wearing something that clearly states you are just as comfortable shopping at Walmart as you are Nordstroms. Kurt shudders internally at the thought, turning away from the window just as Blaine rejoins him.

Throughout the storm, Kurt has watched Blaine make his way around the store, trying on ridiculous hats, debating on whether or not to buy another hoodie (apparently, he has a collection of them from the parks) and starting up random conversations with strangers. Twice, Kurt has witnessed as cast member from the store shooing ‘Mouseketeer’ away with a fond smile, telling him they had work to do.

Now, he’s standing in front of Kurt, all big smiles and dark curls, and holding up a package in each hand.

“Here.” He shoves one at Kurt.

_ Of course _ it contains a poncho.

Blaine is pulling his out of the package and shaking it open. It’s clear with a giant Mickey on the back and an outline of the castle next to him with  _ Disney Parks _ written below. Kurt watches in mounting horror as Blaine slips it over his head, the plastic hood pressing down on his curls, and begins pressing the snaps closed beneath his arms. He glances over at Kurt once it’s done, and his brow furrows slightly.

“Well, aren’t you going to put it on? We can still enjoy the rest of the park. It doesn’t close for another hour.”

Kurt looks down at the package in his hand before returning his gaze to Blaine. He can smell the cheap plastic of Blaine’s own poncho, and cannot stop himself from wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Absolutely not,” he says.

Blaine frowns. “You certainly can’t mean to stay in here for another hour? Not to mention, this storm looks like it’s going to be here a while. There’s a reason people are going back out in it. Weather tracking shows it may last a few hours.”

“Far cry from the five minutes you concluded earlier.”

“Forgive me for not attending meteorology school,” Blaine responds, rolling his eyes slightly. “You know they aren’t going to let you spend the night here. You’re going to get wet either way. So put on the poncho and let’s go.” Blaine moves to head toward the door.

Kurt lays the poncho on the shelf beside him and crosses his arms over his chest. “No. You may not have a care in the world as to how you look when you’re out in public, but I do. And I am not running around looking like the latest photo on the People of Walmart, rain or not!”

Blaine turns in the doorway to stare at him. And honestly, while Kurt would not admit it for the entire Ann Demuelemeester Fall collection, but Blaine looks kind of cute in his poncho. The hood may be shamefully flattening his hair beyond repair without completely restyling it, and the poncho offers nothing even close to resembling a flattering shape on anyone, but Blaine looks like a big kid in it, ready to go splash in puddles, and Kurt thinks it’s ridiculously adorable.

“Did you ever stop to think that this may be exactly why we broke up?”

Kurt’s head snaps up at that as Blaine walks back over to him. “Excuse me? I don’t see what this situation has to do with--”

“The world does  _ not _ revolve around Kurt Elizabeth Hummel,” Blaine snaps angrily as he picks the poncho up and slaps it against Kurt’s chest. “No matter how much he may think it does, other people and what they may or may not want, and may or may not hope for matter, too. Now put your goddamn poncho on, and meet me outside.”

Kurt is unable to even get a word in because Blaine is already outside the store, standing in the rain that is running in rivulets off of the plastic covering him. The fact of the matter is, had Blaine simply told him to put on the poncho and meet him outside, Kurt would have left him there. He would have found his own way out of here and home. Only, Blaine had said a lot more than put on your poncho, and Kurt is sure as hell going to give him a piece of his mind in return.

Tearing open the package, Kurt yanks the stupid poncho out, holding his breath briefly at the stench as he stalks into the doorway and yanks it over his head. “Don’t you dare say such a thing to me and walk away, Blaine Devon Anderson,” he begins as he’s closing the snaps and takes a quick breath as he steps into the rain, the drops almost painful as they pound against his head.

They always did this in the past when they were angry--use their full names against each other like parents scolding children. Kurt thinks he did it initially because Blaine’s middle name is his father’s name, and there is no better way to get his attention than remind him of his father. He thinks Blaine did it in return with Elizabeth because Blaine is the only one that ever acknowledged Kurt’s usage of his mother’s name in her memory—its Blaine’s way of pointing out that he saw Kurt in ways no one else ever had.

“I’m going to give you exactly ten seconds to explain yourself for that little comment,” he snaps at Blaine as he approaches him.

“You mean you’re actually going to give me the chance to do so this time around? Wow, maybe you  _ have _ changed.”

Kurt’s eyes widen at that. “You are such a sanctimonious prick!”

“And you’re a self-centered, spoilt brat!” Blaine returns. “Don’t look now, Kurt, but your precious shoes are getting all wet!”

Kurt glances down to see he’s actually standing right in the middle of a puddle. He can see the water absorbing along the sides of his shoes, and splashes of raindrops marring the lower legs of his pants. He’s not entirely certain that even the dry cleaners can save them. Well, isn’t that just a lovely cap to the end of a perfect day.

“You know what? Fine.”

Kurt grabs at the edge of his poncho and begins to pull it off, except the slick plastic twists in the process, and he begins struggling with it as he speaks. “Maybe I  _ am _ self-centered. Maybe I do wrap myself in the belief that the world revolves around me because I’m too terrified of the thought that no one else gives a damn about me, so maybe if I pretend the whole world would cease to exist without me it doesn’t hurt as much! And maybe you were the only person ever who made me truly feel like I  _ did _ matter, and I let my own insecurities destroy that-- _ and how the fuck does a person get out of one of these things _ ?!” He demands, near tears when he realizes he’s effectively tangled himself in the bad smelling plastic, the hood now flattened against his face.

He might suffocate like this.  _ It would be a fitting end _ , Kurt thinks. Suffocated by the very poncho he hates in the middle of a rainstorm currently destroying his outfit on a late night in Epcot.

It’s the kind of material they use for made-for-TV movies.

Kurt wonders if Blaine maybe just left him there but then he feels Blaine’s hands on him, tugging at the poncho, but he doesn’t pull it off. He fits the neckline back over him properly, and Kurt cannot even begin to complain when the hood slips off his head as Blaine presses their lips together in a deep, lingering kiss. This time when Kurt touches Blaine’s shoulders, it is not to push him away but to pull him closer because he misses this. He misses the feel of Blaine’s warm mouth over his, at the way he sucks against Kurt’s lower lip as if he is tasting him, memorizing the flavor. He misses the press of Blaine’s hands against his lower back, holding him securely, cradling Kurt as if in silent promise to always keep him safe.

Kurt has missed Blaine more than he has ever allowed himself to accept. He thinks just having Blaine there, back in his life, is enough.

Suddenly, he’s not so certain.   
  


***********************************************************

 

Kurt has always been an early riser. His internal clock has never allowed him to sleep past the sun just beginning to linger at the horizon. It had always been a bit of an annoyance to Mercedes during sleepovers when he would wake up hours before her on weekends, and spend the time cooking breakfast with her mother, and watching cartoons with her little brother and sister.

So it is no surprise that as the gray light begins to seep into the room, Kurt’s eyes slide open, blinking back the foggy haze of sleep that clouds his mind. He stretches his legs, yawning as the stretch ends up encompassing his whole body, and then he pauses, freezing in place beneath the covers because something is different.

To begin with, Kurt can feel the covers, from shoulders to toes. He is not wearing pajamas. To point of fact, he is not wearing anything, and Kurt Hummel does not go to bed sans his silk pajamas. To make matters worse, the sheets rubbing against his skin are not 1500 thread count Egyptian cotton. They are 500 count, at best, scratchy, uncomfortable and likely irritating his skin even as he lays there considering how much of a travesty it is that anyone would sleep in anything other than the best. In fact, he and Blaine used to argue all of the time that--

_ Oh, shit. _

Kurt turns his head to the side, and there he is, not more than mere inches away, face pressed into the pillow, mouth slightly open, long lashes like dark shadows against his cheeks. Kurt swallows, afraid to move, uncertain of how he is supposed to be feeling right now.

It would be easier if he could blame this on the alcohol they had consumed the night before, except they had both had plenty of time for it to leave their systems, plying themselves with water and stopping for coffee before they had left the park at midnight. Kurt remembers Blaine leaning against him outside the gate, whispering into his ear amidst the lighter rainfall, “Follow me home”, and Kurt had nodded, and smiled, and done exactly that.

Kurt’s memory can fill in the entire night. How they had stumbled into Blaine’s apartment like giggling children, unable to let go of one another from the parking up the path and through the door. They had instantly fallen into their old comfort zone with one another--Blaine had initiated it, pulling Kurt back to his bedroom, stripping them both of their wet clothes, and Kurt had taken over from there, pushing Blaine back onto the bed, pressing into him with all of the clichéd relief of coming home. They spent hours relearning one another, exploring the differences, remembering how each liked best to be touched, marveling at the confidence and surety neither had possessed back in high school.

Kurt thinks they had fallen asleep somewhere around four, but he cannot remember. All he does remember was that at the time, he had been lost in a euphoric haze of sex, his body satiated, his mind tired, and the warm arms of the man he had once thought he would share forever with wrapped around him. Lying there now, gazing at Blaine who looks too much and not enough like the boy he knew in high school, Kurt knows last night was a mistake. Waking up here beside Blaine is a mistake, and this could be it, this could be that final thing that will mean Blaine will be gone from his life forever, and the resulting loneliness that will one day consume him will be all that is left of Kurt Hummel.

He dresses quickly and quietly, but spends far too long crawling around on the floor looking for his shoes that when he finds are just as beyond repair as he knew they would be. As he climbs back to his feet, Kurt sees that Blaine is awake, leaning up on an elbow, looking slightly disoriented, hair in a disarray of air-dried curls that Kurt’s fingers itch to reach out and touch. Their gazes meet, and Blaine is blinking at him, the surprise and confusion Kurt felt earlier clearly written on his face. And then it happens--a slow, beautiful smile appears that makes Kurt’s heart ache.

“Hey,” Blaine greets softly, curling back down against his pillow and holding out his hand. “Where are you running off to? Neither of us work today. Come back to bed.”

Kurt shakes his head mutely.

Blaine lowers his hand to the mattress, staring at him silently for a long moment as his fingers curl against the fitted sheet. Something like comprehension dawns in his eyes, and the sleepiness his expression had been wearing fades into a frown. “Kurt--”

“Last night was a mistake.” There. He said it.

Blaine sits up, the covers pooling over his lap. He rubs his hands over his face for a silent moment while Kurt stares at the dark stubble on his cheeks, and remembers one time back in high school when Blaine had let Kurt shave him. The memory fades when Blaine speaks.

“We both knew what we were doing. You can’t blame the fact that we’d been drinking.”

“I’m not,” Kurt says calmly, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull his shoes on. “But the fact of the matter is, what happened last night was initiated from two very different places for both of us. You obviously still have feelings for me.” He catches Blaine flinching slightly out of the corner of his eye before he gets back to his feet. “And I... I was feeling lonely. Too lonely. And you’ve always been the one I’ve gone to when I needed those feelings ameliorated.”

Blaine visibly flinches again and looks away. “You’re saying you were just using me.”

That  _ hurts _ . Only, Kurt finds he can’t really deny the words. “I’d rather not think of it like that but... I suppose the description comes awkwardly close to the truth.”

Kurt can see all of this slipping away quite quickly, the friendship he had recovered, the most important person who had ever been a part of his life once more about to walk away from him again because they were both too stupid and blind to see the warning signs that were coming. He wants to save what they have but he has no idea how to do that. He wishes he could believe they are capable of sharing what they once had all over again, but he can’t bring himself to see it. Just look at what’s happening now. Things had been going so well.

“Blaine.” Kurt crosses the room to sit beside him where Blaine has drawn his knees to his chest and refuses to meet Kurt’s gaze. “I can’t give you more than friendship. I  _ won’t _ . I wish I could make you see, make you realize how much I need you in my life. Now that you’re here, I don’t want to take the chance of chasing you away again. And I know--” He takes a breath and continues, “I know what happened last night has screwed that up. I can only hope that we’re adult enough now to move past this and hang on to the friendship I know is important to us both.”

When Blaine does not bother to respond, Kurt leans in and presses a kiss to his cheek. “I’m sorry if this hurts, but please trust me when I say it’s for the best?”

Getting to his feet, Kurt makes it to the bedroom doorway before he hears Blaine speak behind him.

“Remember how I said Niall walked out on me?”

Kurt pauses, looking over his shoulder, nodding just once as he waits for Blaine to continue.

Blaine is tracing the pattern on the duvet with his finger before he finally looks up to meet Kurt’s gaze. “When I asked him why, he said three years was too long. Too long for him to wait for me to stop being in love with someone who was no longer in my life. He said he felt sorry for anyone else who had to learn the same lesson.”

“Blaine, I’m sorry if--”

“Did you ever stop to think, Kurt, that the reason none of those men in your life worked out, or the relationships weren’t quite right, was because none of them were  _ me _ ?”

Feeling a flicker of irrational anger move through him at Blaine’s words, Kurt stares hard at him for a few silent seconds, before turning and leaving the apartment without another word.


	5. Part Five

If Kurt had been teased for his uncharacteristic happiness the week before, his coworkers seem to go out of their way to avoid him the following week. It’s not as if Kurt can blame them. As each day passes by without a text or email from Blaine, Kurt slowly begins to realize his fear is coming true. The bright spot that had returned to his life is fading again, and he honestly has only himself to blame for it. He had allowed what he had needed and wanted to get in the way of common sense. A few hours of sheer heaven in exchange for a lifetime of only half-existence. The truth is, Blaine forces Kurt to feel in a way no one ever has, to open himself up to things that can hurt him, secure in the knowledge that with Blaine there, he will be safe. Kurt got to experience that again for a whole week.

And now his life seems emptier than ever before.

“So was your relationship this ridiculously dramatic in high school? If it was, I think you should sell the story to the CW.”

Kurt looks up as Janelle enters his office. She looks unbelievably pretty in a pale peach sundress he had helped her pick out two weeks ago, her hair pinned up loosely in the back.

“No,” he says after a moment. “We weren’t... Everything seemed very easy back then. Too easy. Like we didn’t even have to try, and we would be together forever. You know how you get into some relationships, and you find yourself wondering if there’s a manual out there for you? Some kind of How-To book to deal with your significant other. Like  _ Men Are From Mars _ , only helpful? It wasn’t like that with Blaine. When there was problem, it was as if we just knew how to fix it and move on.”

Kurt pauses, running the tips of his fingers over his keyboard. “I think that’s what scared me the most, in the end. That it was easy because it wasn’t real. If it were meant to last, then we should have been struggling for it. It didn’t mean anything to him, so he wasn’t really trying.”

“Hmmm.” Janelle sits on the edge of his desk. “Do you think maybe that’s why you’re struggling so hard now?”

Kurt glances up at her sharply.

Janelle shrugs and picks up a crystal paperweight one of his future brides has given him as a thank you for assisting her in choosing a gown. It’s in the shape of one of those giant old-fashioned keys, and the quote etched within it reads  _ Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness _ . Kurt thinks it’s silly, and twice this week he has been tempted to throw it out, except the woman who gave it to him is having a wedding there in five months, and she might notice it missing.

“Have you heard from him?”

Kurt shakes his head. Janelle doesn’t know the details of what happened, but she has figured out that  _ something _ happened, Kurt is certain of that much. Luckily, she hasn’t pressured him for information.

“I saw Carrie this morning.” At Kurt’s obvious look of nonrecognition, Janelle clarifies, “Morgana. Well, the Morgana that Mouse actually  _ likes _ . She said they found the swan, Ardwin, dead this morning, just laying there beside the lake.”

“Poor Blaine,” Kurt comments softly as he drops his gaze, remembering another bird long ago, and how its death had hurt so much. “He thought of that bird as his friend.”

“Mmm.” Janelle nods quietly and slips to her feet. “Well, I’m expecting a conference call with Miranda Peterson and her dad, so I probably should get back to my office.”

“Janelle?”

“Yes, Kurt?”

“Would you mind covering things for a few? I know I’m in charge of walk-ins today but--”

Janelle pauses in the door and smiles back at him. “No. Go on. You’re not doing any of us a bit of good right now anyway.”

Rolling his eyes at her comment, Kurt shuts down his computer and grabs his keys. He thinks it’s a testimony to how much Blaine means to him that he is willing to fight his way through the Magic Kingdom on a Saturday in May just to be there in case his friend needs him.

Sure enough, it takes almost two hours from the time Kurt leaves the Wedding Pavilion before he finally makes his way into Fantasyland and up the path that leads to the Swan Prince’s castle. Kurt tries to shake off his annoyance, but being jostled around by sweaty tourists who have no understanding of just how precious his Greg Lauren duffle bag jacket is to him is difficult to ignore. One clueless woman had looked right at him and asked him if it wasn’t too hot to be wearing such an outfit. To which Kurt had promptly responded, “Ma'am, fashion has no regard for weather.”

Besides, Kurt looks good. From his olive green Fluevog loafers to his Lanvin tweed carnation tie pin, Kurt knows he looks more himself today than he has since he first arrived in Orlando. Maybe he is finally comfortable here; maybe he is finally beginning to fit in. Or maybe, after all of these years, he is finally beginning to remember himself.

Of course, if he were truly forced to choose best dressed, it would be the man sitting by himself on the bench beside the lake behind the “cast members only” cordoned off section of the lake. There might not be anything practical about wearing an outfit like the Swan Prince’s out in the real world, but in Kurt’s mind, fashion's not meant to be practical, it's meant to make a statement, and Blaine does nothing but make a statement when wearing his regalia. Kurt would be in trouble if Blaine were to walk around in that ensemble all the time.

Not quite certain what to say, Kurt sits down quietly beside Blaine, following his gaze out toward the lake where he can see the female swan, Morgana, serenely floating past.

“Janelle told me about Ardwin,” Kurt says finally, glancing over at Blaine. He wishes his friend would look at him, but he doesn’t want to push. “I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose someone you go to talk to when you just need someone to listen.”

When Blaine doesn’t respond, Kurt grows silent as well. A part of him wants to reach out and take Blaine’s hand, but he has no idea if such a thing is welcome. So he sits there with his hands folded in his lap and waits, knowing that if Blaine wants to talk, he will. Shifting slightly, Kurt glances over his shoulder toward the path that leads up to the castle and out of the hidden area. Kurt can just barely see the tops of the heads of visitors passing behind the wall of shrubs. There doesn’t appear to be many people in the area though. Looking at his watch, he realizes it’s because it’s lunch time, and the majority of the park’s visitors are either rushing for lunch, or rushing to get on the most popular rides while everyone else is eating.

Kurt shifts back to find that Blaine has turned his head just a little, watching him. They hold one another’s gaze for a long, quiet moment before Blaine returns his attention to the lake.

“I feel sorry for her,” he says softly, nodding toward Morgana. “Swans mate for life, you know, unless they’re forced by death to find another. So Disney will bring in some strange swan. And Morgana will have a new mate, whether she likes it or not. His name will be Ardwin, and we’ll all pretend it’s the same, but it really isn’t. At least, not to the one for whom it really matters.”

“Look, Blaine—“

“I get it, Kurt.” Blaine gets to his feet, staring down at him, and there’s something in the tone of his voice and the expression in his eyes that causes Kurt to ache inside just a bit. “Sunday was a mistake. You want to be… friends. We were friends before, right? Friends before everything else.”

Kurt realizes what it is that’s making him hurt inside. Blaine sounds defeated, bitter. Kurt’s never heard him sound like that, and he realizes he never wants to hear it again.

“I wish… I wish I could promise you that what you want is okay. That it’s enough for me.” Blaine looks away. “But I don’t know if I can do that.” He’s staring at Morgana again, worrying his lower lip ever so slightly. “I once told you I had been looking for you forever, and it seems I never stopped.” Blaine brings his gaze back to Kurt, and his eyes are almost too painful to look at for long.

Kurt waits for something more but Blaine doesn’t continue. He just looks away, and his gaze is filled with far more sorrow than Kurt thinks he can stand. He finds he wants to reach out to him—this perfect man in his perfect costume looking oh-so-heartbreakingly perfect. And he can’t understand why he doesn’t.

The truth is Kurt has no idea if he’s just being stubborn or something else, and if Blaine were to ask, he wouldn’t have an answer. Kurt told Blaine he doesn’t love him; he’s told himself this repeatedly since Blaine walked back into his life. But the honest truth is, he’s never stopped loving Blaine—he’s no more certain today than he was six years ago if that’s enough. He’s no more secure now as he was then in the certainty of Blaine not breaking his heart one day down the road.

That’s probably why he’s sitting here watching Blaine break instead, the same way he had six years ago.

_ God, Kurt Hummel _ , he thinks.  _ What kind of monster have you turned into _ ?

“I won’t push,” Blaine says quietly, bringing his gaze back to Kurt’s. His eyes are shining amber in the sun, and Kurt suddenly understands why everyone on the Disney property is in love with Blaine ‘Mouseketeer’ Anderson. It’s in his eyes; sincerity, hope, love, joy, sorrow. It’s impossible to be immune, to be able to look away when he looks at you, when his heart is there and he’s handing it to you, and  _ god _ , Kurt realizes,  _ Blaine hands his heart to every person he meets _ . He’s just out there, opening himself up to strangers, welcoming them in, filling the void that exists inside of him because if there was one thing—only one that Kurt was forced to pinpoint about Blaine Anderson that he had always understood—it is that Blaine needs love... He craves it, lives for it, and breathes it like everyone else breathes oxygen.

Blaine had craved it from Kurt.  _ Still _ craves it from Kurt, and Kurt has rejected it.

He really  _ is _ like some wicked fairy tale villain. Cruella de Ville has nothing on him. Well, except maybe her wardrobe but he can excuse that by his refusal to wear real fur.

Blaine is speaking again and it takes Kurt a moment to catch up to what he’s saying. “I don’t know if I can be friends with you, Kurt, but I'm willing to try. I can’t imagine constantly running into you around here and just…” He shrugs, eyes dropping to his feet, and Kurt can’t help but think how wrong the sight is—this beautiful prince looking so defeated. “I think… I guess I just need some time.”

Kurt wants to find relief in Blaine’s acceptance of their friendship, but he can’t. Suddenly, the idea of being friends feels like too much, and absolutely not enough, all at once. He just sits there, wondering why everything feels so weird and out of sorts, and why,  _ why _ can’t anything between them just be easy? Easy like how he’d explained to Janelle. How everything just… slotted into place.

“Anyway, I should probably get back to work. The princess and I have a photo session in a few.”

Kurt realizes Blaine is walking away from him more quickly than he expected. He opens his mouth to say something—what, he doesn’t know--but Blaine is already making his way up to the path, and Kurt, like the idiot he is—like the same idiot he was all of those years ago--is just sitting there,  _ watching him walk away _ .

It’s odd, the flood of thoughts that come to him over the next moment. The memories that sift through his mind as he stares at Blaine’s retreating back, the white jacket fitting so snugly across his broad shoulders, the gold epaulets sparkling in the sun, the sound of the polished black boots as they fall against the pavement growing ever more distant.

_ I’m never saying goodbye to you. _

Except,  _ he had _ . In the end, no matter his reasoning, no matter his fears, no matter the insecurities that had driven him to come to the conclusions he had and make the choices he made, Kurt had broke his promise to Blaine. It is understood between them that Blaine should have opened up to Kurt when it came to the colleges in California; he should have shared that information early on, and maybe nothing would have come of it. Or maybe Kurt still would have lost his temper, refused to listen to what Blaine had been trying to tell him. They’ll never know because they weren’t given that choice. The thing is  _ Blaine _ hadn’t broken a promise. Blaine hadn’t walked away. Blaine had been the one holding out his hand and waiting, at every single moment, for Kurt to take it.

_ I’ve been looking for you forever _ . He had. And, like Blaine said, he still was, and always would.

“Why am I so stupid?” Kurt mutters under his breath.

Love is about risk. It’s about hope and faith and joy, and  _ oh god _ , Kurt doesn’t want for a moment to believe that the message behind everything that Disney sells is love, because it will destroy far too many illusions about his employer being just another mega corporation with a good marketing team out to make a buck off of the little people. Except, it’s right  _ there _ . Blaine’s here because what Disney sells is what he firmly believes in; Blaine is the epitome of the happiest place on Earth, and there’s a reason why Kurt has felt lost for so long, there’s a reason why he couldn’t bring himself to sing, or to find happiness and joy in the very things that always made him  _ Kurt _ .

On Tuesday, Kurt had met with Lenore to show her a couple of other sites to consider for the ceremony. During the time they spent together, she had begun to open up to him about her relationship with her fiancé, and how her father and the rest of her family hadn’t been too keen on the union. Apparently, Daniel had come into her life at her loneliest point. Friends first—the closest of friends—and eventually something more, something perfect.

It was what she said near the end that stuck with Kurt, even as he’d tried to ignore it, even as it had immediately set something off in his head and his heart.

_ “Once you see someone that way, I don't think you can ever see them any differently. It's like they open up their soul and let you in, and I don't think it's something everyone's lucky enough to experience. We were both really scared at first, and those two and a half years until graduation were hard, but we made it. There were tears and there were fights and there were a lot of late night calls and texts full of doubt and loneliness, but we made it work. Nothing else even seemed like an option. _

_ Daniel knows that I like my eggs with steak sauce. He knows I always put my left shoe on before my right because I swear I always have bad luck if I do it the other way. He knows that I only snore if I sleep on my back, and he's learned to sleep through it because he knows I can't get a full night's sleep in any other position. He knows that I love this place because my parents took me here every year for my birthday, and even if I know I don't need a man to save me, I still see him as my dream come true. That's why I'm marrying him, Kurt. Because we both see each other, and we love everything we see.” _

“Blaine! Wait!” Kurt bounds up from the bench and jogs up toward the path.

Blaine turns at the sound of his voice, and that,  _ that right there _ is one of those multitude of reasons why Kurt can’t let go. Not ever again. Because when Kurt calls out to him, when he needs him, Blaine is there for him. Even after having his heart broken.

It’s always been like that between them, and it always  _ will _ be like that between them, and Kurt doesn’t understand why he ever forgot, why he ever doubted.

“Every Disney story ends with a lesson,” he says as he catches up to him.

Blaine is staring up at him like maybe he’s lost his mind. And maybe he has, just a little.

Kurt rushes to add, “In  _ The Swan Prince _ , what is it that Ardwin has to do in order to become totally human again?”

For a moment, Kurt thinks Blaine isn’t going to answer him, but then he’s saying, “Have faith, I guess. In love. In the ability of those around him to love him, no matter what he may look like or who he may be.”

Kurt claps his hands together happily as he bounces on the balls of his feet. “Yes! That’s it!”

“Kurt, you’re not making—“

“I  _ get it _ , Blaine. Don’t you see? I’ve spent all of these years focusing on my own insecurities and blaming you for things you never did, and forgetting the most important thing: You  _ love _ me.”

Blaine frowns and looks away.

_ Oh, no, no, no. You can’t start doubting me now _ !

Kurt grabs his hand, holding it between both of his own and waiting until Blaine finally shifts his gaze back to him. “Look, I know I’ve been horrible through all of this, and I’ve continued to push you away, and I know I told you that I don’t love you, but I  _ do _ . I’ve never  _ stopped _ loving you, Blaine. I used to have so much trouble loving myself, and believing that you couldn’t possibly love me, and I’ve projected that on to you for far too long.”

None of the words seem to be coming out right. Kurt shakes his head and tries again. “I keep telling myself that it’s been too long and maybe we’re too different now, and that’s bullshit. You know it is, and I’m finally realizing—Look, I’ve been afraid. You’re everything to me, Blaine. You’ve always been everything to me from the moment you turned to look up at me on that staircase. And I understand now, I do, that I’ve always been everything to you. No matter how many years pass between us or what we say to one another and what we do, this—“ He holds their hands up between them,”—us, what we have doesn’t change. Maybe we’re like swans, or maybe we’re just Kurt and Blaine and there  _ is _ no explanation for us, I don’t know. And for once, I don’t care.”

Kurt takes a breath, and squeezes that hand he’s holding. “Blaine, I love you. And I’m sorry. I’m not going to let you go this time. I’m not going to let you walk away. Even if I have to… fight dragons or whatever it is princes do to win their fair love.”

A hint of a smile appears on Blaine’s face at that, and Kurt tries not to react too much because he knows he’s reached him; he knows everything is going to be fine now. He continues to cling to his hand, though, afraid to let go.

“Fantasyland or not, we’re kind of running short on dragons right now,” Blaine tells him softly, tilting his head to the side just a little. “I could probably round up a Wicked Witch or two if you wanted.”

“Can we just skip to the  _ and they lived happily ever after _ part of the story?” Kurt asks. “I mean, it is our story to tell… and we kind of both have to get back to work.”

Blaine’s smiling now, bright and beautiful, and Kurt feels warm and safe just standing there looking at him. “I suppose, just this once, we could do without the heroic battle at the end.”

Kurt nods, and waits, and then finds himself wondering if Blaine has ever actually watched one of these fairy tales. He tugs on Blaine’s hand slightly. “Well?”

“Well what?” Blaine’s brow furrows in confusion, and it would be adorable if Kurt wasn’t impatient for his ‘happily ever after’.

“You’re supposed to kiss me!” Kurt tells him, exasperation mounting as Blaine just appears amused. “Oh, very well, then.”

Kurt cups Blaine’s face between his hands, and there’s a brief, fleeting thought that it’s been so long since he’s done this, tipping Blaine’s head back slightly as Kurt bends to press their lips together. He feels Blaine sigh against his mouth, hands pressing over his waist, and Kurt smiles as he deepens the kiss, remembering absolutely everything about this thing they have always shared. He remembers that Blaine likes it when he licks over the corners of his mouth, and when he has Blaine shaking against him with silent laughter, Kurt smiles against his mouth and kisses him all over again. Blaine’s skin is smooth from a close shave, and warm from the sun beneath the touch of Kurt’s fingers, and he never wants to stop touching him, wonders how he made it so many years without doing so.

Still touching him, Kurt ends the kiss—mostly; at first he can’t stop pressing brief, soft kisses to Blaine’s lips—and leans their foreheads together, smiling at him.

“Can I say it now?” Blaine asks quietly with a grin.

Kurt laughs. “I think it’s only appropriate.”

Pulling Kurt closer, Blaine leans in until their lips are barely touching and whispers, “And they lived happily ever after.”

And they did.  
  


***********************************************************

  
  


**February 2nd, 2021**  
  


Blaine still looks amazing in the  _ Swan Prince _ uniform. As he lingers over the last note of the finale, and Princess Morgana flings herself into his arms--no feathers now, just two arms to hold her--the audience erupts into applause. Kurt applauds right along with them as he peers out from behind the curtains; another full house, another fantastic show. Disney’s  _ Swan Prince _ stage adaptation would not be leaving Broadway any time soon.

As the cast take their final bows, Kurt steps away from the wings toward the backstage, careful to dodge the crew as they dart around, closing down for the night. He turns as he hears the two familiar voices as they exit the stage and immediately move straight toward him.

“They were on their feet before the song even ended!” Rachel tells him, beaming as she throws her arms around him, pulling Kurt into a slightly uncomfortable hug. “Clearly they know a tour de force when they hear one! I’ve half a mind to give them the encore they all obviously want and deserve!”

“It’s Broadway, Rachel,” Kurt reminds her, turning to press a kiss to Blaine’s lips as he moves up beside him, arm sliding around Kurt’s waist. “You took your bows, the show is over, move on.”

“Well, perhaps all of that should change?” she suggests. “Until I’m in a role where I’m able to fully demonstrate my unmatched vocal capacity, I don’t see that it’s too much to ask to perform perhaps a medley of Disney-inspired love songs after the show? All of them featuring me, of course.”

Kurt turns to Blaine to begin removing the sash and unbuttoning his coat so that they can leave the theater. Blaine is smiling fondly at Rachel, just like he always does, and Kurt has asked him more than once how he puts up with her day-after-day, week-after-week, only to have Blaine remind him that  _ he’s _ the one who suggested Blaine put in a good word for her with the director.

“I’m sure your immense talent will be both noted and celebrated soon enough, Rachel,” Blaine assures her, stepping away from Kurt to take her hand and give it a quick kiss.

For all that Blaine Anderson and Rachel Berry are the best of friends, she is still no more immune to him as anyone else on Broadway is, and she smiles and flutters her lashes as Kurt rolls his eyes heavenward behind them. There’s a reason Blaine’s nickname followed him all the way from Orlando to New York.

“Well, I suppose I should let you two lovebirds get home,” she says with a smile and a pleased little bounce in her step as she moves past them. Rachel lays a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, and admonishes him gently, “You really need to stop traveling so much. That man right there has been a positive bore to deal with over the last week.” She kisses Kurt’s cheek. “Welcome home, Kurt.”

“I don’t know how you put up with her,” Kurt remarks as Rachel makes her way toward the dressing rooms, bursting into a rather loud rendition of  _ Hello, Dolly _ .

“Honestly, I think she’s rather charming in all of her forced bravado.”

“If there’s anything forced about Rachel Berry, it’s the bra size she lists on her comp card.”

Blaine giggles and leans up for another quick kiss, arms wrapping around Kurt’s waist as he pulls him close. “Did you have a good trip?”

“As good as any trip to Milan can be spent alone, surrounded by arrogant designers with too much money and too little talent.”

“Which means to say you loved every moment of it.” Blaine smiles, pressing the tips of their noses together.

“Which means to say I wish you had been there with me.” Kurt gives him another kiss before leaning back and giving his sash a slight tug. “Now hurry. I’ve gone a week without my husband, and I have every intention of taking him home and doing all manner of shockingly dirty things to his amazing body.”

Blaine raises an eyebrow at that. “Give me five minutes.”

“You get three minutes,” Kurt says with a laugh as Blaine darts toward the dressing rooms. “Or I’m going back to Orlando to find your replacement!”

“Good luck with that!” Blaine shouts back.

Smiling as Blaine disappears around the corner, Kurt makes his way toward the backstage office where he had left his coat earlier. He returns greetings from the various production crew who know him well before grabbing his coat, scarf and gloves from Penelope, the Director’s assistant.

As he slips his overcoat on, Kurt stares at the framed posters lining the wall, a small smile lingering at the  _ Swan Prince _ poster. To be completely honest, Kurt had not been a fan of the film the first time he’d seen it, but there was no denying that it continued to impact his life in only the best of ways. First, Blaine had been dropped back into his life at Disney World, and then just as the two of them had pieced their relationship back together, wondering what their future together would look like, Blaine had been offered the starring role as the Swan Prince on Broadway.

It had been quite a leap, to say goodbye to the career he had begun with the Disney Wedding Group, but Kurt had not hesitated when Blaine invited him along. After all, Blaine had decided to follow his dream, and Kurt had every intention of following right along behind him, and somewhere along the way his own future had taken shape.

The biggest question had been their names. While their friends had constantly pointed out that there was no need to change their names at all, Kurt and Blaine had ignored them. They wanted their names to be together; always had since they had first truly discussed marriage back in high school. The problem had always been did they prefer Hummel-Anderson or Anderson-Hummel?

In the end, it had been Kurt’s burgeoning wedding planning business that had decided it for them. Their own wedding had only been a month away as he had worked painstakingly on a wedding gown design for one of his first clients, an actual comtess from France. Rachel had been visiting, flipping through an issue of  _ Vogue _ on the couch in the corner of the room when she had asked him what the name for his couture wedding designs was. Honestly, Kurt really hadn’t thought about it. At the time, he’d simply been handing out business cards that read  _ Kurt Hummel Weddings _ , but that had been about as flashy as Rachel’s wardrobe.

One night he and Blaine had discussed it, lying in bed together, taking turns writing out words and drawing designs on a sheet of paper. They had played with Kurt’s name, and his mother’s name, and their names until all of the words began to run together. Then Blaine had written out four simple letters-- _ KeHa _ . Kurt had stared at it a very long time, loving the concept, but then deciding that the first reviewer who did not like his work would be unable to refrain from changing those innocent letters to Ke$Ha. Of that, he was almost certain, mainly because  _ he _ would have done it if given the chance. So he had taken the pen from Blaine and wrote in big cursive letters-- _ KEAH _ .

Blaine looked at it a moment before asking, “Kee-aww?”

“Key,” Kurt replied with a smile.

KEAH Wedding Couture was born, and one month later, Kurt became Kurt Elizabeth Anderson-Hummel.

He’s rather proud of the name, even if it is a mouthful.

With scarf carefully arranged around his neck, and gloves on, Kurt steps up to the backstage door, smiling at the security guard as he slips outside onto the top step, breathing a little shallow while he takes in the dip in temperature and the new layer of snow on the ground. There are about a dozen lingering fans, waiting to get autographs on the covers of their programs and Kurt’s flashes them a tight smile when a few recognize and point toward him. Photos from their wedding had been recently reprinted, when the announcement had hit that Blaine would be leaving the  _ Swan Prince _ in three months to star in the opening of April Rhodes’ new show,  _ It's A Sin _ \- a musical based on songs by the Pet Shop Boys, taking place in an all-boys Catholic school and centering around two boys falling in love. He would not have even considered it if he and Kurt had not read through the script together and decided it was sheer genius. The songs were lyrically stunning, and the lead role was a perfect segue for Blaine to move from Disney to more challenging roles.

“Okay, I’m ready!” Blaine announces as he comes up behind him, and Kurt turns to find him checking his watch, frowning. “Oh. Hmmm. Seven minutes. That isn’t optimal, is it?”

Kurt sighs, shaking his head as he reaches over to unbutton and then re-button Blaine’s coat, where he had skipped a button hole in his apparent haste. “You’re lucky you’re devastatingly handsome, Blaine Anderson-Hummel,” he tells him with a smirk, moving on to rearrange his scarf after the buttons are properly aligned. “I swear you’re a toddler when it comes to dressing yourself.”

“Did you ever think I just do it because I like it when you dress me?” Blaine asks, glancing up at him coyly from beneath his lashes.

Kurt swats his shoulder before tucking his arm around Blaine’s, and they make their way down the stairs, pausing as Blaine signs autographs and poses for pictures. It is impossible for Kurt’s heart not to swell with pride as he watches Blaine display that very same infectiousness he centers on family, friends and coworkers with his fans. It’s no wonder that  _ The New Yorker _ refers to Blaine as Broadway’s Mouseketeer, claiming that spending an evening in his presence leaves one with a feeling of such pure joy that not even Disney World itself can provide in such little time. It’s a far more apt description than the one they’d attached to Kurt’s winter collection:  _ Snow White’s Evil Queen meets Alexander McQueen _ . If anything, his designs were far more  _ Maleficent _ meets Alexander McQueen, thank you very much.

“So, cab or subway?” Blaine asks once the fans disperse and they’re standing on the sidewalk, beneath the lights of Broadway.

Light flurries are beginning to fall around them, and Kurt watches as Blaine tips his head back, staring up at the gray sky above. Sometimes, Kurt is so struck by how much he loves this man that it leaves him a little breathless.

“What? No magic carpets? No pumpkin coaches?” Kurt pouts. “I’m disappointed. I thought I’d married a prince.”

“Yes, well, this prince can spring for cab fare or subway fare,” Blaine says with a smile, lashes sparkling from melting snowflakes. “I’d find us a horse-drawn carriage, but it’s freezing out here. We’re not in Orlando anymore, Dorothy.”

“I miss it,” Kurt admits, wrapping both arms around Blaine’s bicep as they begin walking toward the subway station. “I mean, not that I’d ever wish to move back there but... it will always hold a special place in my heart.” He glances and Blaine and smiles, flushing slightly as he adds, “To find my prince again, I had to go to the happiest place on earth. Not everyone can say that.”

Blaine shakes his head. “I had to play a prince to get my prince back. I win.”

“I didn’t realize this was a competition.”

“In the game of love, everything's a competition, sweetheart.”

Rolling his eyes, Kurt knocks his forehead against Blaine’s shoulder with a groan. “How you can go from most romantic man on earth to utter idiot in the blink of an eye is beyond me.”

“Hey, you married me.”

“Do I get a do-over?”

“Only if you promise to do me over and over again.” Blaine waggles his eyebrows.

“Blaine Anderson-Hummel, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” Pushing away from him, Kurt makes certain to put a space of about four feet between them, and pretends not to know him.

Having none of that, Blaine skirts around the couple passing between them and takes Kurt’s arm in his, pressing his cheek to his shoulder as he blinks up at him. “I love you, Kurt.”

_ Seriously, how is he supposed to stay even pretend mad at that? _

“Very well. You’re forgiven.”  
  
  


_ Once upon a time, two boys who once loved one another very, very much were given a second chance at their fairy tale ending. _

_ And they took it. _

  
  


**_The End._ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There are so many people I owe thanks to for helping me get through this fic, it isn’t even funny! So please read through their names if nothing else!
> 
> whenidance who is not only my beta, my cheerleader and the Chris to my Darren, she’s also my go-to gal for all things Orlando-related. When I needed a karaoke bar, she provided one. When I needed pics, she got me those too. She and others let me drag them around Magic Kingdom, throwing out random ideas and listened to me go on and on with possible Klaine scenarios. When I needed a design for Kurt’s logo, she created one. When I needed karaoke songs, she threw out ideas. When I didn’t want to write, she made me write. When I wanted to quit, she wouldn’t let me. This all sounds wonderful, right? But just so you know, she’s also a bit of an enabler when all I want to do is play in the RP or refresh my dash on Tumblr or look at the latest pics of Darren and Chris or whatever. So basically, she is the reason I both finished this fic, and also almost did NOT finish this fic. Don’t blame Darren. Blame Lucie.
> 
> oddmeants, the Kurt to my Blaine, and honestly that’s quite literal here because if Kurt’s wearing it, she picked it out. If Blaine’s wearing it, I picked it out. We’re two halves of a whole when it comes to this pairing. My darling Odd also selflessly allowed me to borrow some of Kurt’s future from her--KEAH is totally her idea. She also wrote out a long, detailed history of Lenore’s relationship with her upcoming bridegroom. I couldn’t ask for a better Kurt.
> 
> tray_lord my behind-the-scenes Disney contact. From lurker on LJ to partner-in-crime on Space Mountain. When she saw I wanted to visit Magic Kingdom for ideas, she made it happen. And she kept me on track at the end for all things Disney cast member-related. I cannot wait to head back to Orlando and ride Space Mountain repeatedly again with her!
> 
> djgulia my Disney photog. When I said I needed a photo of Sonny Eclipse and the teacup Blaine and Kurt would ride in, she provided it. The majority of the Polaroids you glimpsed throughout the fic? Wouldn’t have happened without her. Also, we totally rode in the teacups together and went faster than anyone. It was a little insane.
> 
> fabfemmeboy who took my visual need for Prince Ardwin’s costume and sketched out the design at work before scanning and sending it over to me. Oh yes, the things we do when we should be working!


End file.
